You may recall the name of Garrett Anderson, a local Iraqi war veteran. The News-Gazette has featured him a number of articles over the last couple years regarding both his support for the war and his various struggles with his injuries. I'd link to them, but, ....well, you know the story there.
Now he's in an ad by Vets for Freedom criticizing Barack Obama and juxtaposing his willingness to meet with various dictators while eschewing a meeting with our commander in Iraq.
While we can't be sure about what Obama's motives are, what use is it to question Petraeus? He doesn't seem to have any answers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWr5Wl-mev0
Nice diatribe by Paul, of course generals have little use for political questions they just follow orders they aren't grandstanding.
Run4, if you think generals just follow orders and don't understand the political nature of much of what they do, you are so beyond naive as to be an infant.
BTW, Vets for Freedom is a partisan 527 group that cares only for the truth when it suits their political objective, which is to support Republicans.
In addition to having difficulties due to his Iraq conflict injuries, Mr. Anderson seems to have similar problems sorting politicians by what they have done and what they are proposing to do. Hopefully he is being compensated by the 'Vets for Freedom' PAC.
Run4, if you think generals just follow orders and don't understand the political nature of much of what they do, you are so beyond naive as to be an infant.
Were did I say they didn’t understand the political questions they just don't decide the missions the Commander and Chief does. The Commander and Chief who also decides the message and answers the political questions not the generals.
Of course both General Patreaus and Sgt Anderson have both been there and done that, rather then just being arm chair generals.
...on the subject of naivete:
"The Commander and Chief (sic) who also decides the message and answers the political questions not the generals."
Do you honestly believe this is true for the current Commander-in-Chief? (Yes, it's one person, not two.)
Actually, Run4cvrlib, your statement is not correct, the current Commander and Chief, President Bush has put General Patreaus in front of Congress several times to give the (Bush/Chaney) message but left him to answer all the political questions.
I guess it's all just opinion which must be one of my points, the one that matters is Bushes opinion as the Commander and/in Chief. I guess the facts are what they are either Obama wants to go to Iraq were our troops are or he doesn't? He sure is talking a lot about wanting to meet with our enemies even making it a major campaign topic.
One of the longest surviving veterans of WWI (the Great War) was Alf Razzell who, as was a soldier in the Royal Fusiliers had the job of collecting the personal belongings and wallets from dead British soldiers and sending that material back to their families. Not a pleasant job. Alf got some later fame 70+ years later in the early 1990's because of a war story he told (Ballad of Bill Hubbard) which is on Roger Waters "Amused to Death" LP. (Waters' father was also in the Royal Fusiliers and was killed in WWII). There is also a quote by Alf Razzell at age 90 from a BBC programme:
Run4, go here: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1729525,00.html
Sorry I didn't fit, no the story was gone.
“At the end of any war, everyone sits around a table and comes to some agreement. Why don't they do that before the war instead?” Alf Razzell, Royal Fusiliers, WWI
I guess that would be good but naive especially when it comes to expecting common sense from terrorist states.
On May 29th, 2008 at 07:39 PM, Run4cvrlib said:
“At the end of any war, everyone sits around a table and comes to some agreement. Why don't they do that before the war instead?” Alf Razzell, Royal Fusiliers, WWI
I guess that would be good but naive especially when it comes to expecting common sense from terrorist states.
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I guess it would be good but naive especially when it comes to expecting neocons to stop tooting their little tin horns.