Barrio Patrol

If you can't beat 'em, confuse 'em...

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Pentagon Cat Fight....


So I guess we civilians are not the only ones that are displeased with the testimony of Army General David Petraeus. Apparently, his superior, Admiral William Fallon, who leads U.S. Central Command (CentCom) thinks that Gen. Petraeus is an "ass-kissing chickenshit," according to a report by IPS. Damn, Gina!!!!!! Thems fightin' words.

Photo Courtesy of U.S. CentCom

Though Gen. Petraeus does deserve some recognition for his service to this country, it does seem that his willingness to toe-the-line has clouded his otherwise steady judgment. It seems that this report of friction between Petraeus and Fallon mirrors a pretty remarkable piece released by the Washington Post last Sunday.

Via the Washington Post:

For two hours, President Bush listened to contrasting visions of the U.S. future in Iraq. Gen. David H. Petraeus dominated the conversation by video link from Baghdad, making the case to keep as many troops as long as possible to cement any security progress. Adm. William J. Fallon, his superior, argued instead for accepting more risks in Iraq, officials said, in order to have enough forces available to confront other potential threats in the region.

The polite discussion in the White House Situation Room a week ago masked a sharper clash over the U.S. venture in Iraq, one that has been building since Fallon, chief of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, sent a rear admiral to Baghdad this summer to gather information. Soon afterward, officials said, Fallon began developing plans to redefine the U.S. mission and radically draw down troops.

One of those plans, according to a Centcom officer, involved slashing U.S. combat forces in Iraq by three-quarters by 2010. In an interview, Fallon disputed that description but declined to offer details. Nonetheless, his efforts offended Petraeus's team, which saw them as unwelcome intrusion on their own long-term planning. The profoundly different views of the U.S. role in Iraq only exacerbated the schism between the two men.

"Bad relations?" said a senior civilian official with a laugh. "That's the understatement of the century. . . . If you think Armageddon was a riot, that's one way of looking at it."


What is the point of military advice if is sugar coating the situation and ignoring the gigantic political elephant in the room: the lack of political reconciliation in Iraq?

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