"Replace Petraeus"-Fred Branfman

[Schmedlap]

Just a question, why do people continue to blame Gen. Petraeus? I try to follow his interviews and was reading the Gamble again. He seems like a very determined, intelligent and focused individual. Is it that some people are unhappy with their lives, or impatient and vent on him as a target?

Blame him for what? For a successful tour as MNF-I Commander? For conducting a review of the situation in Afghanistan and the surrounding region?

As for venting on him, I think it is important to look at who does this. They are generally (no pun intended) not individuals with any significant knowledge of the military or the profession of arms, nor are they "mainstream" in terms of typical views held by most Americans, nor are they even "mainstream" in terms of the typical views held by one end of the political spectrum. For example, you cited Code Pink. They are not "mainstream" leftists. They are extreme leftists - and probably regarded as an embarrassment whom most Democrats do not want to be publicly associated with. The right wing has its crazies, too. Whereas the left-wing crazies will come up with any reason to demonize a servicemember, the right-wing crazies will come up with any reason to excuse the conduct of a servicemember. Neither is productive. By any objective measure, General Petraeus has been an effective leader and demonizing him is absurd. When the story about Haditha was breaking, mainstream individuals were waiting for more information and hoping that it was not bad. The crazies were excusing the alleged conduct regardless of whether it was legally justified. That is not productive (or sane, imo). By any objective measure, a squad wasting a bunch of unarmed civilians, in direct violation of the ROE, is morally reprehensible and excusing it is both harmful to our efforts to counter enemy propaganda and sends the wrong message to our troops. I don't think that we should view the weirdos on the left who slander Gen Petraeus any differently than we view weirdos on the right who are willing to excuse inexcusable conduct on the part of our servicemen.

When a pollster takes a poll, he tosses out the upper and lower extremes. Likewise I think it is also important, in discourse that can be politically charged, to toss out the left and right extremes. I don't know how to characterize the leanings of the "General Betray-us" weirdos as anything other than extreme and unworthy of anyone's attention.