Posted on 07/29/2007 4:39:55 PM PDT by Valin
Yesterday's UK Telegraph carried a story by Damien McElroy headlined "Iraqi Leader Tells Bush: Get Petraeus Out," in which he alleged that Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki and commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus had stand-up shouting matches about strategy. McElroy claims that at one meeting, PM Maliki told Gen. Petaeus:
"I can't deal with you anymore. I will ask for someone else to replace you." Pretty damning stuff - except that it is bogus. Here is what Col. Steven Boylan, chief public affairs officer for Multi-National Force-Iraq told this writer on the record in an e-mail:
"Gen Petraeus and the Prime Minister have never had a stand-up shouting match. This is a totally fabricated story.
Gen Petraeus has never stated or even hinted at a "stormy relationship." Saying that they do not pull punches is very different from stormy. That means they have very frank, open, and perhaps direct conversations and continue to do so. Based on what is at stake here; that is what is needed and it should be expected that both are able to have very open and frank dialogue.
Gen Petraeus and other key staff have sat in on every video teleconference with PM Maliki and President Bush. Those statements have never been even hinted at. In addition, PM Maliki has never said what is quoted in the Telegraph to Gen Petraeus."
bttt
“Damien McElroy” must be Scott Thomas Beauchamp’s latest pseudonym.
So, when will the Telegraph be printing an apology do you think?
Sounds to me like the UK Telegraph’s Journalist Damien McElroy is now Persona Non Grata in all of Iraq.
You were right, jveritas, the story is bogus.
I’ll get back to ya when I find the downside. I’d recomend getting something eat, and a sleepingbag as this may take a while.
What a pity, Wolf Blitzer just loved this story and repeated it on his program this morning over and over and over.
Surely he’ll apologize for the error.
bttt
"America's war in Iraq cost $35 billion a month. The stupendous annual spending of the Pentagon puts the annual income of many European states in the shade."
"The Wall Street Journal recently turned its slide rule to Department of Defence spending on oil. The military and all its ancillary activities consumed 134 million barrels of oil in the year to Sept 30, a figure that has risen by one third since 2000. That's more than Sweden used up."
Note the conflation of "military spending" with "Iraq military spending." This is dishonest. The military use of fuel includes aircraft carriers in the Pacific, fighting druglords in Columbia and figthing disease in Africa.
And putting in Europe's favorite dunce Sweden as the point of comparison, a country which is proud of the fact that their military wouldn't lift a finger to help anybody.
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