General David Petraeus

The Military Industrial Complex Gone Wild And Reckless! Time For Accountability For Corporate And Military Leadership!

In his Farewell Address in January 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned of the dangers of a “Military Industrial Complex” that would undermine our national security, civil liberties and basic ethical standards, as well as monopolizing the American economy.

Eisenhower was so prophetic, and it is slapping us in the face more and more every year!

Not only have big business corporations gained unheard of control over the American economy, but they have also corrupted our political system, and sadly, the Supreme Court, controlled by conservative Justices who had no concept of the true meaning of the Constitution, have hijacked our democracy through the Citizens United Case!

And the military has become corrupted too, and not just in abuses practiced in wartime, but also in the personal behavior of the top officials of our military. It is shocking that General David Petraeus and General John Allen are caught in highly inappropriate contact with women, who might have compromised these powerful men in the area of national security and the fight against terrorism.

It is not a question of morality per se, but rather of judgment, as people at the top of the military cannot afford to be reckless in their behavior, because it does not just affect their wives and families, but also all of us in this nation!

It was not acceptable with President Bill Clinton, and it is no more acceptable in the head of the Central Intelligence Agency or the head of our troops in Afghanistan!

But this is due to the fact that we tend to worship both powerful, wealthy businessmen, and powerful military leaders, both of whom are considered heroes, which builds up their egos in both the business and military worlds, and allows them to think they are unaccountable for their actions and behavior!

There is a need for a major house cleaning in the military, but also full prosecution of those businessmen who have abused their power and caused the economic downturn of the past four years.

Men and women of power MUST be held accountable, and this is the time to do it, in a second term of a President no longer facing reelection, and therefore able to be “free” of political considerations!

Osama Bin Laden’s Delusions About Joe Biden

The Washington Post reports that Osama Bin Laden had conspired to kill President Barack Obama and General David Petraeus before having the plot cut short by his being killed by Navy Seals last May.

The concept that this was being plotted is certainly conceivable, but it is astounding that Osama Bin Laden had such delusions that he could accomplish this in real time, and also his statement that Joe Biden was “totally unprepared” to be President, so that it would set back the American government if Obama was assassinated.

It is obvious that Osama Bin Laden had no clue as to the depth of experience and knowledge that Vice President Joe Biden represents.

It is a fact that Joe Biden has had more years of experience and leadership in Congress than any Vice President who served before him!

Joe BIden was one of the longest serving US Senators with his six terms and 36 years in office, and he was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee at different points of his tenure in the Senate.

Joe Biden was involved in every major issue and controversy of his three and a half decades in the national spotlight.

What other Vice President can claim this breadth and depth of experience? Again, the answer is NONE!

Most Vice Presidents historically have been nonentities in their significance in the office and in their experiences before the Vice Presidency. Very few stand out historically before their term or terms as Vice President.

The Vice Presidency was an office of insignificance until Richard Nixon made it an important office under President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s, due to Nixon’s own ambition and intelligence, and Eisenhower’s willingness to allow Nixon a major role in government affairs.

Since Nixon, we had Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Mondale, George H. W. Bush, Al Gore, and Dick Cheney as major figures in the Vice Presidency, although only Rockefeller, Mondale, Bush, Gore and Cheney really added to the office and its influence. And Spiro Agnew and Dan Quayle actually subtracted from the office with their mediocre performance in the Vice Presidency.

Earlier Vice Presidents who were influential included John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John C. Calhoun, Martin Van Buren, and Henry A. Wallace, with Calhoun and Wallace the only ones who never made the Presidency.

But NONE of these Vice Presidents listed above had the total combination of years of influence and significance of Biden, although certainly one would not argue the importance of Adams, Jefferson and Calhoun.

The point that is being made is that Joe Biden is perfectly qualified and prepared to take over the Presidency in an emergency, is a real asset to the nation and President Barack Obama, and should not be dismissed as a possible candidate for President in 2016, even though he would be 74 in that year.

Unlikely that Biden would run for or become President, but he has often been taken too lightly, and that is a mistake on the part of his skeptics, as well as the LATE Osama Bin Laden!

Appointment Of Leon Panetta To Defense Department And David Petraeus To CIA: Great Steps On National Security!

President Obama has decided to nominate CIA head Leon Panetta to succeed Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense this summer.

He has also decided to name General David Petraeus, head of the war command in Afghanistan, to become head of the CIA.

Both moves can be seen as great steps forward on national security, both for the safety of the United States, and also politically, as both Panetta and Petraeus should have no opposition from Republicans when their nominations come up for consideration.

Panetta, a former Republican long ago, worked as Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton, and is seen by almost everyone as a solid figure to run Defense.

Petraeus, a registered Republican who some thought as a possible Presidential choice in the future, has gained a great amount of respect and even awe as he has contributed to his country in the struggle against terrorism over the past decade!

The departure of Robert Gates this summer should not be accomplished without paying tribute to Gates, as one of the best Defense Secretaries in American history, and a welcome relief from Donald Rumsfeld, arguably the worst we have seen since the Defense Department was created out of the old War Department in 1947!

Gates helped both President George W. Bush and President Obama, and he has given fantastic service to his country, and is entitled to a well deserved retirement, although one can be sure that Gates will still contribute in other ways in the future, as he is the ultimate example of a great public servant!

The Gainesville Koran Burning: Arrest Preacher Terry Jones Under “Clear And Present Danger!”

It is shocking that we still have not heard a peep from any major Republican leader about Preacher Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida, who has announced he will burn copies of the Koran this Saturday evening, September 11, despite pleas from General David Petraeus, and as seconded by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Retired General Russell Honore (who led the rescue effort in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina)!

It is even more amazing that it seems that no one is willing to assert, despite the well believed fear that the Koran burning will cause a danger to American soldiers and civilians in the war in Afghanistan as well as Muslim countries all over the world, that we simply must state it cannot be allowed, instead of begging this jerk not to do it! ๐Ÿ™

There is a definite way to deal with this, and we need to see some courage and guts in our public officials, and not be concerned about protests from anyone! ๐Ÿ™

That is, the local authorities in Gainesville have already made it clear that they are not going to give a permit to burn the Koran under city ordinances! The pastor Terry Jones needs to be reminded of this fact in a stern way!

Then he is to be informed that should he proceed to light a match on Saturday night, the police will be present and as soon as he makes that attempt, the fire is put out with the use of aggressive force, and the pastor is to be arrested and prosecuted under the law by the county, state and national government, utilizing the concept of “clear and present danger”, first enunciated in Schenck V. US in 1919. ๐Ÿ™

Pastor Jones needs to understand that his action will NOT be tolerated under any circumstances as freedom of religion or freedom of speech! ๐Ÿ™

This planned action is provocative, endangers the nation’s national security and safety, demonstrates total lack of responsibility, and is a mockery of freedom of religion and freedom of speech! No one has the right to “shout fire in a crowded theater” and call it freedom of speech, and no one has the right to invoke the concept of God and provoke bloodshed and violence when it endangers the whole nation! ๐Ÿ™

We have had complaints that the government is too easy at utilizing the argument of “national security and safety”, but if this situation is not an effective reason for such assertion, then nothing is! ๐Ÿ™

Why Are Not Republican Leaders Speaking Up Against The Koran Burning And Supporting General Petraeus?:(

The threatened burning of copies of the Koran in Gainesville, Florida on September 11 by Pastor Terry Jones has alarmed our military leaders in Afghanistan, including General David Petraeus, concerned that such a dastardly act will provoke violence against military personnel and civilians throughout the Islamic world, and will undermine our ability to promote understanding among the vast majority of Muslims who are not radicals and not terrorists! ๐Ÿ™

So under the circumstances, one would think that the Republican Party would wish to join in support of the military, since they have such strong belief and faith in General Petraeus!

Why is NOT former President George W. Bush speaking out? Why is former Vice President Dick Cheney remaining silent, when he has a problem since leaving office that he cannot keep his mouth shut? ๐Ÿ™

Why is it Sarah Palin, John McCain, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, and all of the other numerous Republicans who are strong supporters of our troops, do not feel a responsibility to take a moral stand against this violent action? How would they feel if a Christian or Jewish Bible were burned in public? Would they remain silent if such occurred? It is obvious the answer is NO, so therefore, by NOT speaking up, does it not indicate that the Republican leadership is willing to risk alienation of the entire Islamic world by remaining silent, and therefore by omission, alienating a billion people around the world? ๐Ÿ™

Is this not evidence of the total extremism and irresponsibility of all the leaders of the Republican Party? ๐Ÿ™

Where is their conscience and their common sense? How could anyone feel that such leaders deserve national power and responsibility when they seem not to give a whit about the safety of Americans, both military and civilian, overseas, as well as in this country? ๐Ÿ™

Do they wish to provoke more violence and bloodshed in this country by a small number of American Muslims who will be tipped over the edge by the irresponsible, despicable burning of the Koran by this whacko evangelical Christian sect? ๐Ÿ™

When will the Republicans realize that they have a MORAL responsibility to speak up? ๐Ÿ™

The Danger That Pastor Terry Jones Of Gainesville, Florida Represents: Planned Burning Of Koran On September 11 Denounced By General David Petraeus!

It is amazing how a so called “Man of God” can be so intolerant, but as is well known, this is not all that unusual! ๐Ÿ™

Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida, a community that houses the renowned University of Florida, is about to besmirch that university town, the name of organized religion, and arouse world wide Muslim resentment, as he plans a burning of a copy of the Koran, the Islamic holy book, at his church on the ninth anniversary of September 11!

General David Petraeus, our renowned general in charge of the war in Afghanistan, has spoken up against this action, concerned that American soldiers will be more endangered by this action, and that it will sour our efforts to improve our relations with the Islamic world, which represents a billion people in the world!

This is as evil an act as Adolf Hitler ordering burning of books during the Nazi period in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, and should be seen as “a clear and present danger”, as the Supreme Court termed it in Schenck V. US in 1919!

The action should be prevented by local authorities by any means necessary, and if actually perpetrated, should lead to immediate arrest and prosecution of Pastor Terry Jones as undermining national security!

There is no room for this kind of action in the delicate world situation we face now! Pastor Jones will be responsible for possible death and harm, and all good Christians and Jews must immediately protest his planned action! ๐Ÿ™

Proper Move By Obama, Replacing McChrystal With Petraeus, But Now Listen To Joe Biden On Afghanistan!

President Obama this afternoon did the absolutely proper thing, when he dismissed General Stanley McChrystal as head of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and replaced him with his superior, the head of Central Command in the Middle East, General David Petraeus!

No military leader can be allowed to be disrespectful to the President of the United States, as civilian command over the military is paramount in our system of government! McChrystal’s insubordination, on top of his coverup of the “friendly fire” death of Pat Tillman, the football player who volunteered to fight in Afghanistan, required his dismissal, as no General is indispensable! ๐Ÿ™

Petraeus is an excellent alternative, although it adds to his total burden, being in both positions, so one wonders if he will keep the head of Central Command for long, or whether someone else will eventually become the head of forces in Afghanistan, once things settle down!

In any case, Obama took the right step, but now he needs to go one step further, and have the courage to do what his Vice President, Joe Biden, a foreign policy specialist in his 36 years in the Senate, has been advocating!

Biden has been the loyal partner, not complaining that Obama chose to escalate US involvement in Afghanistan, but Biden is still advocating that we rapidly withdraw troops a year from now, to keep with Obama’s date of starting to remove our combat soldiers!

Biden has not been afraid to contradict Petraeus on the need to have rapid withdrawal next year! It is obvious the battle for the heart and mind of President Obama continues on this issue!

With so many problems at home, and such a big budget deficit, we need to lay down plans to withdraw, and not only save hundreds of billions of dollars annually, but also the lives of our courageous troops!

President Obama, the author has stated this before, and says it again! We need to get out of Afghanistan, a cemetery for the British and the Soviet Union, and fight terrorism in other ways! Listen to Joe Biden, as he is a brilliant man who knows what he is talking about! And realize the fact that McChrystal’s ridicule of Biden should be seen for what it is: McChrystal is not to be respected, as he has attacked the man who, in many ways, makes your Presidency better than it could have been with anyone else in the Vice Presidency!

Joe Biden should be respected and listened to, as he has the proper perspective and insights, and he is there to support you and back you up! He is an jewel of unlimited value! ๐Ÿ™‚

General David Petraeus And Gays In The Military

General David Petraeus appeared on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Global Public Square today, and made major news.

The head of the US Central Command, and past leading General in the Iraq War, said that he had served with gay and lesbian soldiers in his 36 years in the military and with CIA personnel, and that after ten seconds of absorbing that fact, that then the issue was simply can we all work together on the military mission to accomplish the goals at hand.

And Petraeus said the answer was “Yes”, so therefore he has no problem with exploring the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”!

So Petraeus joins Admiral Mike Mullen, head of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State Robert Gates, in endorsing the end of the discriminatory policy.

It is time for President Obama to assert his leadership, and take the kind of action by executive order, as Commander in Chief, that President Harry Truman took courageously in 1948, when he ordered racial integration of the military, no matter how much opposition there was in the South and in the military itself!

Realize also that 25 countries already allow gays in the military, including Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and Israel, which Petraeus describes as “pretty good” military! So it is time for change!

General David Petraeus: Interesting Views In Midst Of Security Debate

General David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, formerly in charge of the war in Iraq, was on Meet The Press this morning, and what he had to say was very telling.

He was asked his view of whether the abandonment of the Army Manual tactics on questioning prisoners of war was the proper thing to do during the Bush Administration. Translated, this means whether he believed the use of torture and the tactics used at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were useful and productive, and he said a clear No to that. Instead, such methods led to us being bitten on the behind, as he expressed it.

Petraeus was also asked if keeping prisoners of the war on terror at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba was a good policy in the long run. He made clear that while we have to work on this in a judicious way, that ultimately it would be better to close that prison at some point.

He was also asked about his view on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, and while refusing to make a final statement, he said he supported the stand and activities of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen, to investigate the validity of eventual abandonment of the ban on gays in the military.

These views are very significant, as they are generally supportive of the Obama Administration, while Petraeus stands clear of direct political involvement.

It is also revealing that just as Petraeus makes his statements disparaging the policy of torture, that the Justice Department is recommending no prosecution of the lawyers in the Bush Administration who wrote legal defenses of just that policy, which is still endorsed by former Vice President Dick Cheney.

The decision not to prosecute John Yoo and the other “torture memo” attorneys is becoming a highly controversial issue, as many wonder why Eric Holder has decided not to pursue them, since the Obama Administration has totally repudiated those tactics.

Overall, General Petraeus’s statements contradict the political stands of the Republican party, despite the fact that most observers perceive him as basically a Republican in his views, although he is not actively partisan in any fashion and never has been.

Again, the Republicans seem to have more and more people often associated with them, but outside the Congress and the party leadership today, as against their strategy, tactics and actual stated beliefs!