Betray Us

Moveon.org, the Progressive activist powerhouse, is presently in some hot water with the usual suspects for having the astonishingly poor taste of telling the truth, in the New York Times, no less.

(Click to enlarge)

So is General Petraeus betraying us? Well, consider this: the general testified to Congress yesterday that sectarian violence was down. This was detected by classifying dead Iraqis who met their demise by a bullet to the front of the head as merely victims of crime; dead Iraqis killed by a bullet to the back of the head are the ones who get noted in the ledger for sectarian violence. If you get killed by a car bomb, according to the general, you're also not a victim of sectarian violence. In short, what's changed aren't the facts on the ground; they're merely being measured differently, and the results of these changed metrics have now been read into the Congressional record as evidence that we need at least another Friedman unit of surging. Presumably, this will give the general time to further clarify what is and what is not a sectarian death; who knows, in six months, they'll probably declare that unless you're strangled with a burqa, you're not dead for reasons that concern the general.

Are they calling ketchup a vegetable yet?

More background on the general's astonishing dishonesty is on the MoveOn web site.

Bouldin's picture

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Daniel Millstone's picture

I think this is a bad move by Moveon because,

while the "Petraeus" "Betray Us" play on words is attractive, the rhetoric belongs to Mr. Bloomberg and his gang.

As I see it, the General may be loyal to his chain of command and his commander. It's irrational to expect independant judgement from him.

Thus, while I agree Petraeus has been deceptive and dishonest, framing the debate in terms of betrayal is the work of the right.

Gothanonymous Reader's picture

Really, Michael

I am reminded of when Hank Morris got into the shouting match with Father O'Hare at the Campaign Finance Board. There is no advantage to getting down and dirty, personal and nasty, with Priests and Decorated Combat Veterans. And, if there's no advantage, why should a group which ostensibly cares about its cause do such a thing?

When dealing with even the most disreputable of such characters (and Petraeus hardly seems the worst; he's both obeying the chain of command, and defering to his elected superior; and sadly, he may even believe this stuff) politely and firmly honor their positions, and make your case, but don't gloat or snarl; it doesn't look good.

mole333's picture

How about this then...

Not sure whether I agree or not. But let's take a look at somewhat less personal attacks that still carry the same message.

From the Eric Massa (Veteran and candidate for Congress NY-29) campaign:

"It is clear after closely watching the testimony yesterday that the surge, which my opponent has wholeheartedly supported, even while being 'skeptical,' has failed," said 24 year Veteran and former Aide to the Commander of NATO Eric Massa. "General Petraeus stated that our military must now hold the current troop surge level until next summer, but I remember reading an article in the Olean Times Herald in August of 2006 where my opponent suggested that we would start bringing the troops home by last Christmas. The conversation about Iraq has indeed taken a turn for the worse. Rather than having the conversation of 'did the surge work or not,' we are now discussing the impossible - namely sustaining the enormous spike in our deployment that's been rapidly breaking our military for an additional year. We don't have the troops to do this and we simply cannot afford to spend anymore American lives on this three way civil war. The longer we stay, the worse it gets and I refuse to sit on the sidelines while American military personnel continue to pay the ultimate price for George Bush and Randy Kuhl's failed strategy in Iraq – this while the Iraqi government goes on two month vacations."

During the day of testimony nine more Americans were killed. In its report to Congress, The GAO highlighted that there were only 3 out of 18 benchmarks met as they were laid out prior to the surge. Though Randy Kuhl has said he's "skeptical" of the surge a number of times, he has continued to rubberstamp George Bush's failed agenda in Iraq.

"Last year when Randy Kuhl spent some 16 hours in Iraq, he told us that it's really quite pleasant in Baghdad with all the fabulous shopping and lobster for dinner," said Massa. "Kuhl also told us that we would start seeing troops home by the end of 2006, he then changed his web site to extend that for an additional year and now the Administration has extended that yet another year – our seventh in Iraq. Now I suspect that he'll change his language once again and back Petraeus' new plan of sustaining the surge and over extending our military indefinitely. Today, I call on Congressman Randy Kuhl to renounce his dark alliance as George Bush's Whip and stand up for our troops. I am not asking as his political opponent, I am asking as a Retired Naval Commander and an American. We cannot endure another Vietnam, and that is exactly where the Republicans are leading us. The time to change course is now, and if our leaders won't do what's right, then we will replace them next November."

And from Congressman Patrick Murphy (PA-8, Iraq War Vet):

“General Petraeus himself said that counter-insurgencies cannot be won without a political solution – I couldn’t agree more. That is exactly what we need in Iraq,” said Congressman Murphy. “The truth is President Bush’s escalation is distracting us from fighting and winning the larger war on terror – especially as we face increased threats from al Qaeda in Afghanistan and the border with Pakistan. We need a new direction in Iraq, and that means redeploying American troops from Iraq and going after those who threaten our security here at home.”

From Americans Against Escalation in Iraq:

General Petraeus’ claim that he would withdraw troops is a distortion. The “withdrawal” Petraeus referred to is merely a necessary rotation of troops required because the current surge troop level is unsustainable and has strained our military to the breaking point. According to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the surge level of troops is unsustainable beyond spring and many military leaders and experts have expressed grave concerns about the strain on the military.

“General Petraeus admits that his proposed troop rotations wouldn’t bring U.S. troop levels below the pre-surge level – which is unacceptable. The reckless Iraq surge policy failed and it has strained our military to the breaking point,” said Moira Mack, spokeswoman for Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. “Despite the rosy assessments out of the Bush Administration and General Petraeus’ claims of progress, the public opposition to keeping our troops in Iraq is at a record high. The White House spin is not breaking through in the cities and towns across this country, and members of Congress shouldn’t fall for it either. Americans are urging Congress to bring the troops home safely and reject pleas to give the failed Iraq policy more time.”

And from Jon Soltz, Iraq war veteran, and chairman of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans group, VoteVets.org:

"The president is hiding behind General Petraeus, and that was abundantly clear today. General Petraeus was given an order - find a military solution for Iraq where there is none, and without concern for troop overextension or the larger war on terror. General Petraeus followed his orders, giving the president what he wanted to hear, and now the president will hide behind that to justify his failure as a commander in chief."

"General Petraeus has a very limited area of concern - the US military in Iraq - and his testimony today reflected that."

"When one looks at the grander scale, past just the military in Iraq, the picture is dismal, and becoming a critical danger. From the Government Accounting Office report to Congressional Research Service report to the report by General Jones, it is clear that there has been no political reconciliation overall in Iraq or increased security, despite our military's strongest efforts. From Admiral Fallon to Admiral Mullen, those above General Petraeus in the chain of command are telling the president that this war is hurting our military and our global security. The president has chosen to ignore all of this, in favor of a report based on a false premise with faulty findings, signed by a General with a very limited scope of concern. Call it denial, or call it stubbornness, or whatever you want; it all boils down to the same thing - this president still refuses to listen to those he needs to listen to, in favor of those who tell him what he wants to hear."

Daniel Millstone's picture

David, those are much better than the Moveon ad. Thank you. If

you want to read portions of the statements of Maurice Hinchey and John Hall to similar effect, check out The Albany Project here.

Steve Johnson's picture

New Moveon.org Video Ad Coming Out On Monday

Heres a early video of it:

http://iraqsinconvenienttruth.com/2007/09/14/908/

And For General David Betray Us Fans:

http://davidbetrayus.com/

Peace,
Steve

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