Posted on 09/16/2007 6:46:35 AM PDT by shrinkermd
SIR, I don't know, actually": The fact that America's surrogate commander in chief, David Petraeus, could not say whether the war in Iraq is making America safer was all you needed to take away from last week's festivities in Washington. Everything else was a verbal quagmire, as administration spin and senatorial preening fought to a numbing standoff...
...This is why the parallels between Vietnam and Iraq, including those more accurate than Mr. Bush's recent false analogies, can take us only so far. Our situation is graver than it was during Vietnam.
...Certainly there were some eerie symmetries between General Petraeus's sales pitch last week and its often-noted historical antecedent: Gen. William Westmoreland's similar mission for L.B.J. before Congress on April 28, 1967. Westmoreland, too, refused to acknowledge that our troops were caught in a civil war. He spoke as well of the "repeated successes" of the American-trained South Vietnamese military and ticked off its growing number of combat-ready battalions. "The strategy we're following at this time is the proper one," the general assured America, and "is producing results."
...The Democratic presidential candidates in the Senate need all the unity and focus they can muster to move this story forward, and that starts with the two marquee draws, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. It's essential to turn up the heat full time in Washington for any and every legislative roadblock to administration policy that they and their peers can induce principled or frightened Republicans to endorse.
(Excerpt) Read more at select.nytimes.com ...
Second and third Paragraphs: Note how he conflates Viet Nam with Iraq on one hand and denies the similarities on another. He forgets to mentioned all combat troops out of Viet Nam in 1971 (Before Nixon's Landslide Victory in 1972) and the consequences of the Congress cutting off funding in 1975. Among the catastrophic results was not only the regional slaughter, but the seizing of American property in the Mid East. In a few short years the rise of militant Islam and seizure of power in Iran that Jimmy Carter never addressed and which powered President Reagan to power.
Fourth paragraph: He calls for a virtual shutdown of government unless the President complies with the wishes of the RATS, NYT and Pinch. Not a recipe for a functioning foreign or domestic policy. A call to a political war without end is another way to look at it.
Sometime ten or more years hence someone will review the editorial policy of the NYT and at the same time its loss of ecoomic solvency and power. This book will become an instant best seller.
democrats, liberals, communists, progressives....whatever the he&& you want to call will hide behind specious reasoning and continue to bend credibility until their revolution comes to fruition.
then it will be too late; the people who loved their marxist rhetoric will be toiling in the fields of the revolution with no one listening to their cries for help.
(all the americans will be in the hills)
The New York Times may or may not go bankrupt due to the unpopularity of its editorial policy. On the other hand, I’d hate to see the NY Times base its positions on economic impact. The same goes for the Washington Times.
When a new organization shapes itself with an eye toward ratings/circulation you get missing white girls, car chases, lip gloss and Bill O’Reilly.
IOW, let’s reject the Foxification of news anywhere in the political spectrum.
Frank Rich is one of those left wing bomb throwers who make false statements and present them as facts. He knows the average reader will not research the truth. he makes “Moveon.org” look like a “moderate” organization.
Its a political question, that's why he, as military commander, would not answer it.
They already have, and will continue to do so.
NOT for Gen.Petraeus... and they know that, but they ask him anyway just to make news.
Except that the November 15, 1969 antiwar demonstration in Washington had 500 000 people on the Mall in nine degree weather, and the antiwar demonstration on the Hill and the Mall last week in bright September sunshine had about 30.
I would say that this year's "movement" has quite a ways to go. They even tried to have a "die-in" this weekend, but they forgot to bring Pigasus.
Pathetic.
Bad for their business -- they're losing money.
Bad for this country -- they want us to lose the war.
Bad for journalism as a profession -- they lose respect due to their willful distortion of the truth.
2007 Whaa Bush is listening to the Generals!
Would these appallingly stupid Leftists at least TRY to be intellectually coherent in in their stupid talking points?
Anyone who says Petraeus couldnt answer this question is in fact a liar. If anyone throws that at you, make sure you call them on it! He did answer it, directly and specifically, in subsequent questioning where he went referred back and said he wanted to be clear that he did think it was making the US safer. Frank Rich is either ignorant or a liar. Either way, starting with a provably false premise means he has no credibility whatsoever.
Hear, Hear!!! I hope you don't get banned for your comment. It doesn't seem to be very popular in many circles of FR.
Also, regardless of the editorial policy of many outlets, the primary reporting (boots on the ground) is still required. Good connections and networks and access take time to develop, and it's better to have accurate information than biased from the reporter.
So do I understand this right...by “Betray Us,” he’s not talking about “deciding not to help the fight against America”...???
Unspoken qualifier:
"It depends on how many terrorists were permitted to stroll across the border from Mexico yesterday and I am not privy to that data."
“When a new organization shapes itself with an eye toward ratings/circulation you get missing white girls, car chases, lip gloss and Bill OReilly.
IOW, lets reject the Foxification of news anywhere in the political spectrum.”
You should check out how capitalism works there, Comrade. You’ve obviously never had to sell a thing in your life.
If you can’t get enough of nodding in agreement while wanking off to old white men in suits, start your own channel. Maybe you like the same stupid soundbites repeated every 10 minutes, ad nauseum, but most people will turn the channel. Personally, I like to know what’s going on in the world outside politics as do the rest of the viewers who make FoxNews #1 in the ratings.
Lastly, if you hate everything about FoxNews, why do you watch it? To have something ELSE to bitch about? “Whaaaa! FoxNews shows stuff I don’t like! Whaaa!” For the love of GOD, TURN THE CHANNEL!
So was Mark Steyn, and he dropped out of school at 16.
General Petraeus is in charge of troops in Iraq only. How can he tell if the efforts in the rest of the Global War on Terror are making us safer? I know for a fact with the wide open porous borders we have right now Secretary Chertoff and his disaster of an Agency (Department of Homeland Insecurity) should be the ones answering this question. Not this American hero. As in all wars fought by this nation it usually takes years to find competent wartime leaders to apply the tactics learned in blood to finally destroy the enemy. The New York Slimes makes me sick.
He’s a liar.
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