Petraeus responds to charges

Human Events ^ | 9/13/2007 | Steve Browne

[SWBrowne]

Gen. David H. Petraeus responded at the National Press Center in D.C. Wednesday to charges that his report on violence in Iraq “cooked the books” by narrowly defining assassinations.

[SWBrowne]

Gen. David H. Petraeus responded at the National Press Center in D.C. Wednesday to charges that his report on violence in Iraq “cooked the books” by narrowly defining assassinations.

In response to a question about the Moveon.org ad in the New York Times which featured the headline “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” he said that though he disagreed with what they said in the ad, he stood by their First Amendment rights to free speech “which generations of American soldiers have fought for.”

Petraeus then showed the press a copy of Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’ which he said had been sent to him from his home town, as a guide to how to react to the accusations against him.

Petraeus said he’d like to read it, but wouldn’t, given the time. Kipling’s poem is framed as advice to a young man on dealing with adversity, and includes the lines, ”If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,”

Petraeus then went on to say that he would like to respond to charges by several journalists quoted on the Moveon.org website.

In response to claims that deaths were only counted as assassinations when victims were shot in the back of the head and not the front, Petraeus said these were a “myth.” He explained that there is a protocol for identifying victims of kidnapping and assassination; including evidence of being bound, tortured, and shot anywhere in the head.

[subterfuge]

Welcome to the forum.

Any personal observations you’d like to make about this?

[fatnotlazy]

Frankly, if I were the general, I would tell the critics to go get stuffed. He doesn’t owe them an explanation, or anything else for that matter.

Bunch of wussies and traitors. *Spit*

[SunStar]

'if' by rudyard kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

[Paperdoll]

“If” is good, but even better than “If” is Psalm 91.

[goldstategop]

The moonbats have really gone off their rocker attacking a four star general. The best antidote to their lies and character assassination is the truth.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[oneamericanvoice]

When one has the truth you don’t need lies. When one has only lies they can never have the truth, nor honesty, and therefore integrity.

General Petraeus has the truth. He is a greater American and human than any of his detractors could hope to be.

It is interesting how civilians who are not authorities in military matters can profess to know more than an expert like General Petraeus.

[goldstategop]

General David Petraeus is more of a man than his critics will ever be.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[flynmudd]

I only have the utmost respect for General Petraeus and all the troops he is leading. I have no repect for the other side.

[in hoc signo vinces]

Which is why the likes of Moveon.org attack him (Petraeus) personally...they can’t defeat the message, the facts/logic/etc. are not on Moveon’s side.

[Paperdoll]

“If” is good, but even better is Psalm 91.

[Winged Hussar]

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

Here is my response to the two-bit lying anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic PUKES at MoveOn.org, including MoveOn PAC executive director Eli Parasite (Eli Pariser, see, I can make up names too). Please feel free to COPY (not link, it uses my bandwidth) and distribute.

Also remind everyone that MoveOn.org is an anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic hate group, as shown by the material it welcomed on its now-disgraced Action Forum, and this photomanipulation of Pope Benedict. Make sure Catholic Democrats in Pennsylvania and New York (Hillary's back yard) see this one.

Here's what MoveOn's people say about Jews and Catholics. MoveOn took its Action Forum down last year, but not before I copied all the good stuff. The votes are the number of MoveOn.org people who agreed with the hate speech, out of the total.

"Removing all Israeli obsessed Jews from congress would stop a lot of killing." 12 out of 14 voted to AGREE with this (even though those Jews are mostly Democrats!)

"The Israelis see themselves as a new race and a new nation and are rather ashamed of their Jewish past." 7 of 7 voted to AGREE with this

"Isn't it time to tell the American people the truth, i.e. that Jews control all the media." 8 out of 8 MoveOn.org people AGREED that the Jews control all the media

"I hope you didn’t volunteer for Vietnam, otherwise you are just a mercenary like the others." 11 out of 13 agreed.

"Rice and Powell ARE "house slaves"." 12 out of 15 agreed with this racist statement.

"But until the priests are hounded down and arrested like the baby rapers they are, the neverending cycle will continue. You want to throw a monkey wrench in both political parties? Call for the arrest and immediate incarceration of the Catholic Pedophiles of America." 8 out of 9 voted to agree.

[oneamericanvoice]

"The best antidote to their lies and character assassination is the truth." Well said. There was a letter to the editor in the Daily News (Los Angeles) today that said she normally aligned with MoveOn, but felt that the ad went over the boudaries. Love it when the Left shoots themselves in the foot!

[Tribune7]

If you say gubmint when asked "who's your"
And not just your head is fat
Then you know you are a loser
And what's more, a Democrat.

[USNBandit]

Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’

My father was a huge Kipling fan and gave me a copy of "If" printed on a tiny card when I left home for Annapolis. I kept it in the Bible my uncle gave me. It was one of those little tiny ones with the zip up cover. After my father passed away I added the last letter he wrote me.

Years later when I found myself flying missions over Iraq, I flew with that Bible, poem, and letter in the flight suit pocket next to my heart. I guess I was hoping for a bit of divine guidance and protection.

Of course if that didn't work I carried a wad of cash in my other flight suit pocket and a pistol in my flight gear. Never needed the cash or the pistol.

[vpintheak]

I would love for once, if one of these people being brought before the Rat congressmen would really let them have it. They rats deserve nothing less for their treasonous behavior.

[The Wizard]

And If I had been him I would have been over that table with a Mac 10

[hsalaw]

“If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs and blaming you, you’ll be a man.” (Not exact, but close.) That really defines Gen. Petraeus.

[avacado]

A reply from the article's comment section:

General Petraeus doesn't have to defend himself against moveon.org. It's an honest report vs lies. A man of integrity vs an organization that can't even spell the word. A man of ethics vs the unethical. A man of courage vs cowards. A man who will fight for America vs a group that will retreat and surrender before the conflict begins. All the lackeys that make up moveon.org are nothing more than primitive vegetables, much like mushrooms.

BAS, SA, TX

[mimaw]

I swear that was written for President Bush.