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WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2008 – Just weeks after wrapping up his stint as the top commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said yesterday that progress there has become a little less fragile and more durable. The soon-to-be commander of U.S. Central Command spoke to the Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank, here. Petraeus finished his 19-month command of Multinational Force Iraq three weeks ago. But Petraeus qualified the statement, saying that enormous difficulties lie ahead for long-term stabilization in Iraq. The general said that violent attacks in Iraq spiked to 180 a day in June of 2007, but...

Video linkMust see video of Gen. David Petraeus speaking at the Ass'n. of the U.S. Army 2008 Meeting which brings together America's Army, active Guard and Reserve, retirees, family members and civilians.

Gen. David Petraeus says that he has no desire to meddle in politics, but he may have more to do with the outcome of the presidential election than any other nonpolitician. As commanding officer in Iraq throughout 2007 and much of this year, Petraeus has served as the chief architect and champion of the “surge” policy there. (He has now moved on to become commander of the American military’s Central Command.) As the number of both American and Iraqi deaths has plunged, and as the prospects for real political change have improved, it has become increasingly difficult for Barack Obama...

Militants in Pakistan pose a threat to the country's existence, according the the American General, David Petraeus. Speaking in London after meeting the UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, the commander of US Central Command said Pakistan had to deal with the problem. He went on to say he would help Pakistan make a a sustained commitment to deal with the militants. His comments come amid tension between the US and Islamabad over American attacks on militants inside Pakistan. 'Existential threat' US forces in Afghanistan have conducted a number of cross-border operations targeting militants based in neighbouring northwest Pakistan. The Pakistani...

Mods, if one already exists (I couldn't find one), please delete this one..many thanks in advance.. First things first..what are the drinkin words? xxx = take a sip xxxx = take a gulp xxxxx = bottoms up

[Permission granted to copy, paste, and circulate in its entirety] Endorsed by Obama: "He's one of the greedy Jew bastards killing our [black] people. Don't give the Jew a dime."Ready-to-go viral E-mail and blog entry: please copy, paste, and circulate as widely as possible. Unlike the smears and urban legends that are being directed against both Presidential tickets, the reader can verify the following material independently. Keep [going] right on past Freddy's, he's one of the greedy Jew bastards killing our [black] people. Don't give the Jew a dime. The above anti-Semitic tirade came from Morris Powell, the head of...

Even Barack Obama, who opposed the Iraq troop surge, has finally acknowledged its success. But some of his fellow Democrats in Congress apparently remain unconvinced. Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin teamed up to block a vote on a bipartisan resolution "recognizing the strategic success of the troop surge in Iraq" and thanking our men and women in uniform for their efforts. (snip) Citing General Petraeus by name, the resolution, which is sponsored by Independent Democrat Joe Lieberman and Republican Lindsey Graham, "commends and expresses the gratitude to the men and women...

Gen. Keane wants to make sure people understand why the surge worked. "I have a theory" about the unexpectedly fast turnaround, he says. "Whether they be Sunni, Shia or Kurd, anyone who was being touched by that war after four years was fed up with it. And I think once a solution was being provided, once they saw the Americans were truly willing to take risks and die to protect their women and children and their way of life, they decided one, to protect the Americans, and two, to turn in the enemies that were around them who were intimidating...

Well, the ad is truthful. I wonder if the Left will call this ad despicable and full of lies and distortions just like every ad put out against the Messiah. Maybe the Left should look this word up and start using it, "sacrilege."

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2008 – President Bush today praised Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the outgoing commander in Iraq who oversaw a dramatic reduction in violence there, and thanked him for agreeing to lead U.S. Central Command. The president also denounced an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, that killed an unspecified number of security personnel. After meeting with the general at the White House, Bush credited Petraeus with helping to plan and implement a 33,000-troop surge that started in January 2007 and has been cited as a key factor in Iraq's improved security. "General David Petraeus...

This morning President Bush met with General David Petraeus in the Oval Office of the White House. After serving as the Commander of Multi-National Forces in Iraq for 19 months, General Petraeus was promoted to Commander of Central Command (CENTCOM). The President congratulated the General for his successful mission in Iraq. (Transcript) General David Petraeus was asked to do a very difficult job and he did it with distinction and honor. He was a part of the planning for the surge; he implemented the surge, along with a lot of other brave people; and the United States and the world...

Petraeus's Miracle By David Ignatius BAGHDAD -- The night before Gen. David Petraeus turned over command here, a group of senior officers gathered at Camp Victory to say goodbye. It was like a football team's testimonial dinner at the end of a winning season: There were steaks and baked potatoes and a highlight film of the general's 20-month command, scored with rock music, called "Surge of Hope." The signature line of the video was a statement Petraeus made to Congress when he began what seemed to many people like mission impossible: "Hard is not hopeless." That was his closing comment,...

Five years ago a youthful US army general, with a PhD in international relations and a name that seemed plucked from Herodotus, led the 101st Airborne Division into Mosul in northern Iraq. He had taken part in a stunning military victory, but failed conspicuously to celebrate. “This is a race to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people,” he said. “And there are other people in this race. In some cases, they want to kill us.” General David Petraeus is still not celebrating. But he is leaving Iraq in a state no sober observer would have forecast when...

BAGHDAD — Gen. Raymond Odierno assumed command of the war effort in Iraq on Tuesday, saying that future troop withdrawals would be heavily influenced by a new U.S. administration and the long-term security pact with Iraq still under negotiation. Odierno, who added his fourth star just hours before the ceremony in Baghdad’s Al Faw Palace, said of the past 18 months’ gains in Iraq, "where chaos reigned, hope prevails." But, he warned, "our work here is far from done." Odierno assumed command of Multi-National Force — Iraq from Gen. David Petraeus in the ceremony attended by Secretary of Defense Robert...

WASHINGTON – Vets for Freedom, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to educating policymakers and the American public about the strategic importance of the success in Iraq, will hold a Wednesday, September 17 press conference at Upper Senate Park at 10:00 a.m. The event will be the largest gathering of Iraq and Afghanistan veteran candidates to date, as Vets for Freedom will stand with 17 congressional candidates from both sides of the aisle and two generations of the American warrior class – those who wear the uniform and return home to serve in public office. Current congressmen such as Reps. Jim Marshall...

Veterans for Freedom will launch a national cable ad Wednesday juxtaposing comments by Gen. David Petraeus on the success of President George W. Bush’s 2007 troop surge in Iraq and comments by Barack Obama opposing the strategy.

BAGHDAD, Sept. 15, 2008 – The Iraqi Defense Ministry held a ceremony today to say goodbye to Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who turns over command of Multinational Force Iraq tomorrow to Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Iraqi Defense Minister Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji salute while passing the Iraqi flag during a farewell ceremony for Petraeus Sept. 15, 2008, in Baghdad. Petraeus is turning over command of Multinational Force Iraq to Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Petraeus, who will take command of U.S. Central Command, has...

Barack Obama and Joe BidenThe Democrat Foreign Policy Team: Their Judgment One Year Ago “I opposed this war from the beginning. I opposed the war in 2002. I opposed the war in 2003. I opposed it in 2004, and 2005 and 2006." --Barack Obama, September 12 2007“It's time to turn the corner in my view, gentlemen. We should stop the surge and start bringing our troops home. We should end a political strategy in Iraq that cannot succeed and begin one that can.” --Joe Biden, September 11 2007 [Click images to enlarge] September 11, 2007: General David Petraeus was in...

President Bush delivered a back-channel message of personal support to Gen. David Petraeus when the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq felt undermined late in 2007 by a lack of support from the Pentagon, State Department and his own military superiors, a new book say

MoveOn.org also published a derogatory photomanipulation of the Pope It is a matter of record that Barack Obama solicited (http://www.stentorian.com/cartoons/2008/obama_pope1.jpg) and accepted (http://moveon.org/press/pr/obamaendorsementrelease.html) the support of MoveOn.org, whose now-disgraced Action Forum served as a platform for the most vicious imaginable anti-Semitic hate speech. This included an actual blood libel of Jews, a statement that Jews control all the media, and even a suggestion that Jews did “something” to deserve the Holocaust....MoveOn.org itself published a derogatory photomanipulation of Pope Benedict. 9/11 denial and 9/11 conspiracy theories, anti-Evangelical hate speech, contempt for Vietnam veterans similar to that expressed by MoveOn.org’s defamation of...

General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, said declining violence in Baghdad raised the possibility that American combat troops could leave the capital by next summer. Asked in an interview with the Financial Times whether it was feasible that US combat forces could leave Baghdad by July, he said: “Conditions permitting, yeah.” His comments come as the US and Iraq hammer out the final details of a long-term security agreement that reportedly outlines a potential timeline for US combat troops to leave Iraqi cities by next summer, and the country by 2011. “The number of attacks in Baghdad...

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 3 -- At least 20 people were killed in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday after U.S. and Afghan troops crossed from Afghanistan to pursue Taliban insurgents in an early morning attack that marked the first known instance in which U.S. forces conducted an operation on Pakistani soil. The arrival of three U.S. helicopters in the village of Musa Nika, clearly inside the Pakistani border, drew a sharp response from Pakistani officials. "We strongly object to the incursion of ISAF troops on Pakistani territory," said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, chief spokesman for the Pakistani military. According to Pakistani military and...

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain may announce his choice for a running mate earlier than expected, sources told FOX News on Monday. [snip] Several names have come up repeatedly as McCain’s possible running mate, including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge and, perhaps, Democrat-turned-independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Also named is Gen. David Petraeus, the incoming head of Central Command.

I think General David Petraeus would be a great choice for McCain's VP. It would be the Heroes vs. the Zeroes.

I mean, the truth of the matter is that, that the—America’s—this administration’s policy and the surge are a failure, and that the surge, which was supposed to stop sectarian violence and—long enough to give political reconciliation, there’s been no political reconciliation. The reality is that we’re supposed to, as you said, stand up American—or stand up the Iraqis so the Americans could stand down. We’ve been hearing that for five years. We’re nowhere near being able to do that. The reality is that, although there has been some mild progress on the security front, there is, in fact, no, no...

General David Petraeus's tenure in Iraq draws to a close at the end of the month, and it's a measure of his success that he is departing to far less political fanfare than when his tour began. In September 2007, MoveOn.org called him General "Betray-Us," and Hillary Clinton said his claims of progress weren't credible. Now those critics are silent. When General Petraeus took command 18 months ago, Iraq was sliding into chaos, and President Bush's "surge" was the last chance to bring the country under control. Last April, Majority Leader Harry Reid confidently declared, "The war is lost," and...

Gordon Liddy asks Col. Bruce Parker, at Camp Victory, Iraq, about a breaking LA Times story on Petraus' "possibly" having to change plans and "delay" drawdowns. (excerpt and link below...) In the clip, Col. Parker reveals that the Times' source was not, in fact, acquainted with the thinking of General Petraus, in that the withdrawal of the Georgian forces DID NOT affect the plans of the General for the orderly draw-down of US Forces. Colonel Parker was HIMSELF involved in the design and execution of the draw-down program of which the LA TIMES' so-called "senior military official" speaks. The story...

The secret work of SAS troops battling Al Qa'eda terrorists in Iraq has been exposed by the American commander in the country. British special forces had played an "immense" role in taking out terrorist bomb-making cells and insurgent leaders over the last five years, said Gen David Petraeus. In one incident the SAS blended into the heavy Baghdad traffic by hiring a pink pick-up truck and removing their military clothing to capture a terrorist, the general said.

With oil prices continuing to plunge—and they may have a lot further to go—I've started wondering about this "what if" scenario: Where would oil prices be today had we abandoned Iraq to civil war and al Qaeda? What if President Bush had announced on Jan. 10, 2007, that instead of surging U.S. troops under the command of General Patraeus, he was ordering their withdrawal? Imagine if Iraq had descended in complete chaos and terror and genocide. Somalia or Rwanda on the Tigris and Euphrates, I guess.

Why Do Europeans Love Obama? Let us count the ways:1) Obama’s tax code, support of big government programs and redistribution of income, and subservience to UN directives delight the European masses—especially at a time when their own governments are trying to cut taxes, government, seek closer relations with the US, and ask a petulant, pampered public to grow up.2) He offers Euros a sort of cheap assuagement of guilt—in classic liberal style. When Obama says falsely that he does not look like other Americans who have addressed Germans (cf. Colin Powell or Condoleeza Rice who have represented US foreign policy...

Answer: A hell of a lot better than it would have if the left had had its way last year, although naturally he’s prohibited from saying so. But couple his response to the question with his point that withdrawal has to be conditions-based and it’s clear what he thinks the consequences of a significant U.S. drawdown in the near term would be. Good thing Barack Obama no longer favors one. He says he’ll have further recommendations for withdrawal — again, conditions permitting — next month, which could be quite the monkey wrench in the two parties’ convention messages, needless...

BAGHDAD — The top U.S. military commander in Iraq isn't buying the increasingly popular idea of a publicly stated timetable for American troop withdrawal. Gen. David Petraeus, the Iraq commander, said in an interview with McClatchy that the situation in Iraq is too volatile to "project out, and to then try to plant a flag on a particular date." With violence at its lowest levels of the war, politicians in both the United States and Iraq are getting behind the idea of a departure timetable. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was first, suggesting he would have combat troops home within...

I so, so wanted to believe it. Really I did. He is so handsome, so fresh and, well, truth be told, I want everybody to know that I embrace diversity. I’m hip, if you can dig it. I’m not afraid of change. That is, as long as by “change” Barack Obama and his followers are referring to a change in vision, a change in paradigm and perhaps a change of tone in Washington. Politics can be so grubby and nasty. Everybody wants to see the Jimmy Stewart, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” movie come true. Unfortunately, what I think Obama...

BAGHDAD, July 23 (VOI) – The decline in armed operations against joint forces and Iraqi civilians will positively affect U.S. Top Commander in Iraq David Petraeus's recommendations on the situation in Iraq to the Congress, a spokesman for the Multi-National Force (MNF) said on Wednesday. "The recommendations that field commanders will submit to Petraeus will be included in the report, which he will present to U.S. Congress in September on the situation of the MNF and the abilities of Iraqi security forces," Brigadier General David Perkins said during a Baghdad-based press conference. The U.S. top commander "will hold talks with...

The "surge" in Iraq sure appears to have worked.  There are some who say President Bush should have listened to voices such as Senator John McCain and then Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki in the first place, rather than taking the foolish advice of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other "neo-con" hardliners. But before we give all the credit to the "more boots on the ground" stompers and all the blame to Rumsfeld and the neo-cons, let's take a second look at the surge. To set the stage, let's look at the results to date.  (In the...

Video. And Amateur Hour continues apace. ABC's Terry Moran asks Obama about what Petraeus thought about Barry's 16 month pullout plan. Obama breaks out the leisure suit, starts dancing, and finally says, "You know, I, I, umm, uhh, I mean, uhh, you know, well . . . Screw Petraeus, I'm the boss and I'll decide when the hell we're gonna pull out."

The top American commander in Iraq is downplaying recent comments by Nouri al-Maliki on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, claiming that the Iraqi prime minister wants “time horizons,” not timetables. During an interview that aired Friday on MSNBC, Gen. David Petraeus cast al-Maliki’s growing assertiveness on the presence of US. troops as a positive sign of the government’s sovereignty while lauding Iraq’s improved military ability. But Petraeus indicated that doesn’t necessarily mean American troops will be able to leave by the end of next year, a goal many Democratic lawmakers favor. “Again, what [al-Maliki] has said is not...

On his first day in office, President Barack Obama will head to the situation room for a video conference with his most important commander, General David Petraeus. If the conversation is chilly, it is not just the awkwardness of virtual chatting. Obama and Petraeus have a history. While Obama has called for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq, Petraeus oversaw the deployment of more than 30,000 additional troops. To win support from the left, Obama postured as a skeptic of the general's Iraq strategy during congressional hearings. Meanwhile, Petraeus has emerged as something of a hero to the right--and, despite his...

Later this month, under conditions of extreme security, Barack Obama will jet into Baghdad for policy discussions with America’s most popular general that could change the course of US involvement in Iraq. The long-awaited meeting with General David Petraeus, commander of coalition forces in Iraq, is likely to prove the most dangerous encounter – politically and personally – of a week-long world tour that will carry the Democratic presidential candidate from high-profile meetings in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin to the military bases of Afghanistan and Iraq. The candidate and the general have for months seemed at loggerheads over troop...

As you no doubt know, the Senate last week voted to confirm Gen. David Petraeus -- slandered less than a year ago by MoveOn.org as "Gen. Betray Us" -- by a 95 to 2 vote. Which two senators voted against Petraeus, despite his historic achievement: dramatically changing U.S. military strategy in Iraq and turning what looked to be America's defeat at the hands of al-Qaeda and Iran's proxies into a clear success? The answer (drum roll please): Senator Tom Harkin (D., Iowa) and Senator Robert Byrd (D., W.V.) voted against him. Interesting, don't you think, that both Harkin and Byrd...

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2008 – The Senate has confirmed Army Gen. David H. Petraeus as commander of U.S. Central Command and Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno to receive his fourth star and succeed Petraeus as commander of Multinational Force Iraq. The full Senate confirmed Petraeus by a vote of 95-2 and Odierno by a 96-1 margin. Odierno is the Army’s 3rd Corps commander and served as commander of Multinational Corps Iraq for 14 months. The changes put Petraeus -- who implemented the U.S. surge into Iraq -- in charge of U.S. military forces in a dangerous part of the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly confirmed Army Gen. David Petraeus as commander of the military headquarters responsible for U.S. operations across the Middle East, including Iraq and Afghanistan. The Senate confirmed him by a vote of 95-2. It also confirmed 96-1 the nomination of Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno as top commander in Iraq, replacing Petraeus. Odierno, who previously served as Petraeus' deputy in the war, will be promoted to full general. Central Command is considered the toughest regional military command to lead. Petraeus and Odierno together implemented a new military strategy credited with helping drive down...

Obama manages to take more positions than a couple performing the entire Kama Sutra Last year, Barack Obama joined MoveOn.org’s Eli Pariser in spitting on General Petraeus’ uniform and service ribbons. Obama’s solicitation and acceptance of MoveOn.org’s endorsement lent Obama’s name to MoveOn.org’s credibility, thus reinforcing the following insult. Now, however, Obama wants to appeal to our Armed Forces and Americans who respect our Armed Forces by handing General Petraeus a tissue with which to wipe Obama’s spittle from his uniform. Per “Obama Moves on MoveOn.org,” (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/07/obama-moves-on.html) Almost lost in the Wes Clark haze of Monday’s patriotism speech in Independence,...

General Petraeus gets bigger crowds at his photo-opportunites in Iraq than Angelina Jolie did on her recent visit If Santa ever set up his Christmas grotto in a war zone, it might look something like this. Hundreds of men and women, many of them armed, line up in a marble hall inside one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, waiting patiently for more than half an hour for their hero to turn up. The object of so much adulation is General David Petraeus, the 55-year-old commander of US and allied forces in Iraq. General Petraeus, widely credited with the military strategy...

We have won the war on terror in the Iraqi theater and there is no doubt about it. Not only that the events on the grounds absolutely prove our victory over Al Qaeda but now even Al Qaeda media is admitting defeat in Iraq. In a recent thread posted on Al Ekhlaas, the largest Al Qaeda forum on the internet, the author of the thread who is also a very prominent member of the terrorist forum admitted that Al Qaeda main battlefield against the US has now moved from Iraq to Afghanistan. In his thread “Qanas Al Jazeera” said that...

Petraeus: “You and your comrades here have been described as America’s new greatest generation, and, in my view, you have more than earned that description. It is the greatest of honors to soldier here with you.”

Baghdad, July 5, 2008 – Servicemembers from all over Iraq gathered here today in the Al Faw Palace rotunda on Camp Victory, to re-enlist and celebrate America’s Independence Day. U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general, Multinational Force Iraq, reenlisted 1,215 U.S. servicemembers from all over Iraq July 4, 2008, during a ceremony in the Al Faw Palace rotunda at Camp Victrory in Baghdad. Photo by MNF-I Public Affairs  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. All 1,215 servicemembers celebrated by raising their right hand and pledging to continue defending the ‘land of the free’ in what is the largest...

 [Counterinsurgency (COIN) tactics and the "Surge" in Iraq. Which came first -- or did it?]     LTC Gian Gentile, a good friend of AM, is many things, but gentle is not one of them. In his most recent essay attacking the "newness" and the wisdom of the surge, he starts with a bang: The U.S. Army's new strategy in Iraq -- launched in February 2007, along with a surge of 25,000 additional American troops -- qualifies neither as particularly new nor even as a strategy. Better to call it, instead, an enhanced reliance on tactics and operational concepts previously in...

BAGHDAD (AFP) — The US military is to hand over security control of the former Sunni insurgent bastion of Anbar province to Iraqi forces in the next 10 days, a US military spokesman announced on Monday."The handover of Anbar is expected to take place in the next 10 days," Lieutenant David Russell told AFP, declining to provide an exact date.Anbar would be the tenth of Iraq's 18 provinces to be handed back to Iraqi forces by the US-led coalition amid a push to transfer security control of the entire country back to Baghdad.Anbar province in western Iraq, the country's largest,...

Democrats no longer talk of the 18 benchmarks for measuring progress in Iraq because so much progress has now taken place. Way back in the dark days of 2007, when the only popular question about the Iraq war concerned the degree of tragedy, Congress’s Iraq “benchmarks” were all the rage among Democrats. Every argument against a continued U.S. presence in Iraq was constructed around the Maliki administration’s apparent inability to meet the political and security-based milestones as outlined by America’s Democratic-majority Congress. Then something happened. The gains of the troop surge allowed the Iraqi government and citizenry to implement the...