McChrystal and Pelosi (and Obama and Tillman and torture and Afghanistan)

[sellitman]

<SNIP> Note the date on that article. Here's a bit from Andrew Sullivan. Keep in mind -- if you have read more than just the excerpts I have posted -- that both Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld were big fans of Stan McChrystal and TF 6-26 and 121 and the rest.


Its motto: "If you don't make them bleed, they can't prosecute for it." McChrystal appears to be the anti-Petraeus. No wonder Cheney loves him. But why then did Obama pick him for Afghanistan? In the wake of horrifying news of unintended civilian casualties, in a war where the US is already intensely unpopular, Obama has picked a leader who can be directly linked to the worst images and incidents of prisoner torture and abuse under Bush.

And one can't help but wonder at the same time: is McChrystal the reason for the sudden volte-face on the abuse photos? <SNIP


More: http://brainsandeggs.blogspot.com/2009/05/mcchrystal-and-pelosi-and-obama-and.html

[ShortnFiery]

1. Petraeus is not champion of human rights either. There were many investigations

in Iraq as well as him "looking the other way" in regard to Contractor graft.

General "Peaches" Petraeus is the consummate CHAMELEON depending on the circumstances, i.e., a 100% self promoter of high intellect.

[sellitman]

2. This guy makes Petraeus look like a Boy Scout

Read up on Cheney's Private assassin ( General McChrystal ) and it will blow your mind.

[EFerrari]

7. YES, he does! Great thread. n/t

[CJCRANE]

4. Wasn't Petraeus brought in for the "surge" in '07?

AFAIK most of the big-time graft happened under Bremer and the CPA in Bush's first term (I could be wrong but that was my impression).

[ShortnFiery]

10. Petraeus is dirty ... not as sneaky and covert, but FAR more ambitious - that makes him dangerous.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/gen-petraeus-and-a-high_b_94458.html

"When he was in Iraq, Westhusing worked for one of the most famous generals in the U.S. military, David Petraeus," Bryce observed last year. "As the head of counterterrorism and special operations under Petraeus, Westhusing oversaw the single most important task facing the U.S. military in Iraq then and now: training the Iraqi security forces."

Bryce referred to a "two-inch stack of documents, obtained over the past 15 months under the Freedom of Information Act, that provides many details of Westhusing's suicide....The documents echo the story told by Westhusing's friends. 'Something he saw drove him to this,' one Army officer who was close to Westhusing said in an interview. 'The sum of what he saw going on drove him' to take his own life. 'It's because he believed in duty, honor, country that he's dead.'"

In Iraq, Westhusing worked under two generals: Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, and Petraeus, then a lieutenant general. But Bryce continued: "By late May, Westhusing was becoming despondent over what he was seeing." When his body was found on June, a note was found nearby addressed to Petraeus and Fil. According to Bryce it read:

"Thanks for telling me it was a good day until I briefed you. --You are only interested in your career and provide no support to your staff--no msn support and you don't care. I cannot support a msn that leads to corruption, human right abuses and liars. I am sullied--no more. I didn't volunteer to support corrupt, money grubbing contractors, nor work for commanders only interested in themselves. I came to serve honorably and feel dishonored. I trust no Iraqi. I cannot live this way. All my love to my family, my wife and my precious children. I love you and trust you only. Death before being dishonored any more.

[pleah]

3. K&R

[noamnety]

5. k&r

This needs to stay in the public eye.

[JDPriestly]

6. McChrystal's intensity and determination appeal to Obama.

McChrystal sounds to me like an extreme obsessive/compulsive who needs a lot of support. Dr. Strangelove. I suggest everyone watch that movie if you haven't seen it and watch it again if you have.

Obama just gets stranger and stranger.

I think Obama wants to produce Bin Laden or his remains -- one or the other and push the stinking corpse under the nose of Dick Cheney. Sorry to be so crude about this, but I think that is going to be Obama's answer to Dick Cheney.

[tom_paine]

9. But putting in Cheney's Stooge means that Obama gets whatever Cheney wants.

Not a good idea to put the man who likely assigned the cutout or cutouts who murdered Pat Tillman, then helped cover up his own work.

More and more I think that Obama is NOT in control of the military.

More and more I think the American government runs much closer to the machinations of most totalitarian countries and completely other than the nonsense that we are led to believe.

They HAD to let Obama win, or risk revolution, but they would NEVER allow Obama to control their purged and Bushified military.

McChrystal, gates and the rest of "Obama's" military actions seem to indicate that the Bushies remain in control there.

At this point, after 30 years of the Bushification of our nation, nothing would surprise me anymore.

[JDPriestly]

11. Yes, but Obama would rather have this guy at least theoretically

close to him than opposed to him. Who is more likable? Obama or Cheney? Obama probably thinks he can win McChrystal's loyalty. I tend to agree with you with regard to the Cheney/McChristal link, but this is Obama's choice.

[PDittie]

8. Thanks for the linky love

But it all started here on DU with this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8412623&mesg_id=8412623