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August 8, 2007-DVD Review: The Insider
Quote from movie:
Jeffrey Wigand: There are times when I wish I hadn't done it. There are times when I feel com... compelled to do it. If you asked me, would I do it again, do I think it's worth it? Yeah I think its worth it.
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(AFP/File)
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Frank Rich is one of my favorite writers and I agree with most everything he says.
But taking on General Petraeus, in one of his usual columns bashing the President for the stupidity in Iraq, is a fast train to nowhere.
The President doesn't read Rich's column. (Rich shouldn't feel bad, he simply doesn't listen to anyone who differs from his views.) For the time being, Bush's attention is focused on General Petraeus following and speaking out for his agenda in Iraq.
I don't know the general, but I do know many who know him. They say he's a good and capable leader. I don't doubt it, but he's a general and he's answering to the commander in chief who only wants to hear what he wants to hear.
Because we have so few Americans who have any military experience, most don't understand how a general is made, who they are, and a thousand other things about the military.
A general, is a politician, plain and simple or he probably wouldn't be a general. I am always amused when I see the military generals with all those chest full of medals and glistening stars come before congressional hearings. Their politicial inquisitors are questioning other politicians who just happen to be in the military.
The generals have a mentality. It is a "can do" approach to the mission. And, they don't sit around cogitating their navels on the what ifs. It is get the job done.
Let's face it, what would we expect the good general to say come September about Iraq. "We are in a mess, the "surge" has failed. Saddam has joined other would be martyrs, the Iraqis have a constitution, we are out of here. God bless them." Give me a break!
HOW DOES ONE GET TO BE A GENERAL??????
How does one get to be a general? It is not because of an officer's(colonel's) good looks or winning personality although these might help. The officer plays the games, especially as he/or she gets close to the prize, a star.
Somewhere along the way the officer acquires sponsorship, a person of higher rank who has been this route before and is now a sponsor for a potential general.
It is not out of the realm of possibility for an officer (Colonel) to be selected a general because of politics. Many have been "presidential aids" or held similar positions, i. e., served at embassies.
The "would be" general gets all his "tickets" punched. This officer goes to the right schools, i. e. Command and General Staff College (for potential commanders) and the War College or some similar school. Probably, along the way, the military sends him/or her to a civilian school for a Masters degree and on occasion, a PhD at taxpayer expense.
The candidate for general has the right military jobs, i. e. command posts, serving on a "joint" staff with all the Services. In most cases, he is a "ring knocker",(Academy graduate-West Point, Annapolis, Air Force Academy).
When they are eligible, based on length of service, all of the above, they come before a promotion board. It is as secretive as getting into a Masonic order. It is playing politics as much as any Congressman/woman and we would do well to understand as these men and women have our kids lives in their hands in a place like Iraq.
Most generals would not be where they are if they weren't terribly ambitious. My experience is that the best officers in the military never get to the top for lots of reasons. Mostly, they tire of the games and sacrifices and opt for the civilian world.
Our celebrity worshiping culture bears some fault in how we see our generals. Our media makes them into celebrities. Some get more face time than Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears. Much of what they say publicly is scripted and they have no more control over what happens in Iraq than those of us sitting out here in the hinterlands listening to them.
And, sadly,the generals have not helped us in Iraq; perpetrating a rosy picture that only makes it worse and delays the hard decisions. We have screwed up bigtime in Iraq and any truly honest general or general honest with himself would say the same. Some have. A few have resigned; but, under this president, it really makes no difference.
My prediction is that General Petraeus will say that we have made progress, we are turning the corner. He'll use Anbar Province as an example and will not share that he and the Iraqi premier have almost come to blows over it.
Petraeus has armed the Sunni Sheik's who have switched sides. Now, Maliki threatens to do the same with the Shiite militants. He has even threatened to have Petraeus relieved as if he could.
And, the truth is that Maliki believes he can. And, he might be right if we stay there for years. We can't and won't is my hope. No way to run a war. KT
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