by Frank James
Gen. David Petraeus today took over the U.S. military's Central Command which has responsibility for some of the most critical and combustible parts of the world, including the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Petraeus is the closest the U.S. has to a conquering hero of Iraq for his execution of the surge in Iraq is widely agreed to have been masterful and responsible for much of the reduction in violence there.
Which makes it interesting that Petraeus was smacked down by the Bush Administration on an idea he had to visit Syria after assuming his new command.
As ABC News reported yesterday:
Petraeus... had hoped to meet in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Petraeus proposed the trip, and senior officials objected, before the covert U.S. strike earlier this week on a target inside Syria's border with Iraq.
Officials familiar with Petraeus' thinking on the subject say he wants to engage Syria in part because he believes that U.S. diplomacy can be used to drive a wedge between Syria and Iran. He plans to continue pushing the idea.
"When the timing is right, we ought to go in there and have a good discussion with the Syrians," said a Defense Department official close to Petraeus. "It's a meaningful dialogue to have."
Petraeus would likely find a more receptive audience for his approach in an Obama administration, given Barack Obama's views on the need to engage America's enemies. /strong>
Comments
This is what can happen when you allow your campaign events to devolve into angry mobs shouting "kill him!", "off with his head!", "Terrorist!", etc.
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http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-ML-Israel-Rabins-Assassin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Posted by: jackson | October 31, 2008 12:51 PM
Where's the move-on crowd with their "Betray US" posts?
They are being shelved until after the election - just like Jesse jackson, Al Gore, george Soros, etc....
Posted by: Terry | October 31, 2008 3:39 PM
Terry, you are missing the point of the article. It is not to re-live the disgusting embarrassment that was the far left when they attacked a decorated general for doing nothing more than a great job. The point is let Obama lap dog Frank James try to spin another issue in favor of Obama, while (laugh track) trying to sound objective.
Posted by: Herbie H. | October 31, 2008 4:08 PM