Petraeus emerges as top Sec of State candidate

Arutz Sheva ^ | 29/11/16 | Shlomo Vlle

[Eleutheria5]

General David Petraeus spent an hour meeting with Trump on Monday at his offices in Trump Tower in Manhattan and has emerged as a top contender for Secretary of State, along with Mitt Romney and Rudolph Giuliani.

He is praised as a politically astute military commander with extensive experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, two hot spots that will immediately be facing the new president. His CIA experience gave him broad exposure to America’s clandestine operations around the world, and he already has an extensive network of connections with heads of state and foreign and defense ministers.

Under President Bush, Petraeus led the troop surge in Iraq and helped persuade Obama to pursue a similar strategy in Afghanistan. He is still frequently cited for his work as editor of “The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual,” which laid out the troop-intensive strategy used in these two operations.

However, during the presidential campaign, Trump declared his opposition to this kind of intensive engagement and said the United States should stop attempting to build other nations with its intensive interventions.

A Petraeus nomination would also be problematic because Petraeus was convicted of mishandling classified information in a scandal stemming from his extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. During the relationship, Petraeus turned over his confidential diary to Broadwell, leading the F.B.I. to recommend that he be charged with a felony. Petraeus pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Considering Trump’s strong criticism of Hilary Clinton for her use of a private email address and server for classified information, a Petraeus nomination would raise charges of hypocrisy.

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[Eleutheria5]

Latest scuttlebutt. It ain't over 'til he's refusing to help mothers whose kids have been whisked off to Saudi Arabia by father, and the fat lady sings.

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

I still think it will be Kellyanne.

[JediJones]

Anthony Weiner’s available. Why not throw him a bone?

[BlessedBeGod]

No no no no no no no no no.

[EliRoom8]

Kellyanne has FOUR kids and doesn’t want to be away from them. Something better would be to be in the White House in Valerie Jarrett’s role.

Valerie Jarrett has been far more influential than either Clinton or Kerry.

[Gaffer]

Personally, selecting him and potentially re-investigating Hillary seems like hypocrisy to me, also. I just don’t think he is SoS material myself just because he’s had a great deal of experience with a couple parts of this world that we have been at odds with.

Germany, Belgium, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, Finland, all of the EU and a host of other countries in addition to Afghanistan and Iraq and Syria.

Frankly, I’d like someone who could put some backbone into these countries through diplomacy and pull up their fair share.

I think Trump can do better.

[Helicondelta]

Shlomo Vlle doesn’t have a clue.

[ifinnegan]

He’s a Dem.

[nathanbedford]

I advance tinfoil hat scenario worthy of Machiavelli and in keeping with the full range of bizarre excuses which have been advanced on behalf of Donald Trump since he announced.

I suggest that it has been Trump's intention all along to nominate General David Petraeus to be Secretary of State but he was confronted with the problem that General Petraeus was guilty of the very crimes he had repeatedly accused Hillary Clinton of in the campaign. How to square that circle?

Simple, trivialize the crimes of Hillary Clinton and speak about compassion and, if necessary, a pardon could be issued to clear Petraeus to qualify him and a pardon could be issued to Hillary Clinton to cover the pardon to Petraeus.

My tinfoil hat is just as worthy as anybody else's

[EliRoom8]

I’m sorry but his work in Iraq with General Flynn was outstanding. He gets my vote. Big time.

[Puzzleman]

Petraeus is the most brilliant, knowledgeable, and disciplined man to serve our nation in decades. The “scandal” that the media used to smear him consisted of his sharing one secure email with his mistress – a mistress had a security clearance. If the same level of scrutiny were applied to all applicants for service, our nation’s halls of power would suddenly be very silent.

[spiderpig]

Bolton is best choice, but I don’t think he casts a big enough shadow (currently not a huge name to the masses) and he comes off as a second-stringer due to the recess appointment deal on his first foray into gubmint position.

Petraeus may be ok, anyone but Mittster. Mittens could get a spot on the State Department office building cafeteria staff, he probably looks sporty in a hairnet.

[ifinnegan]

I appreciate your comment and opinion. It is not unheard nor ignored.

[Bigg Red]

Well, Petraeus seems to have the Hillary attitude toward keeping state secrets secure....

[Gaffer]

NTK. We have different opinions. Every time one of these people get their hands slapped, the rest of those in the security world get the repercussions in the “additional checks and measures” that ensue from them.

[Spacetrucker]

“Most disciplined”? I beg to differ ... Paula Broadwell comes to mind...

[rollo tomasi]

The insurgency worked (Overwhelming force, duh), COIN did not hence the continued struggle after the surge and cluster *f after we left. Did not work in Afghan as well.

Islamic factions have been playing the West for centuries since the Crusades. Don't be enamored by Petraeus' strategy of playing factions against each other. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" and all that Islamic crap runs very deep.

Islam is a counter-hegemonic force regardless of what sect or tribe you deal with and the only thing they respond to is a superior force/weaponry/brute force.

As for SoS, why the hell would you appoint a man who fumbled secret information to his side piece. Also his personnel politics rival Colin Powell so have fun with this guy I guess. "The more things change, the more they stay the same..."

[nikos1121]

Haha. I’m totally clueless over your reply. What are you trying to say?

[nikos1121]

Trump doesn’t need a VAlerie Jarrett, in fact, I doubt if any president in our time had a Valerie Jarrett. Shows how utterly poor and mediocre Obama was. It’s telling too, when you see him standing erect in Trump’s presence. The man knows he’s turning the keys over to the adult in the room.

[ari-freedom]

well he does have Bannon