Scrutinizing Petraeus's Record

**SSG Rock** · 09-18-2007

The lack of or refusal to use critical thinking skills in America is astounding. Are we so needy that we gravitate to the point of view that is the most comforting rather than to accept the truth when it is right in front of you smacking you in the nose repeatedly? I don't know, sometimes I get so frustrated with some of the spin our government (both sides) try to pass off on Americans.

**goesh** · 09-18-2007

The Pope and all the Prophets could have been standing behind General P. nodding their heads in approval when he told the world what the reality in Iraq is and it wouldn't matter, some would still call him a Halliburton-Bush-Cheney puppet.

**Hacksaw** · 10-15-2007

Oblong,
Your questioning of the GEN Petraeus' venue is understandable but misguided. Despite the commonly held perception that a 4-star general is "in charge" nothing could be farther from the truth wrt this type of media engagement. "Experts" in DoD most assuredly directed who the General would speak to and who he wouldn't, at least on the record and in conjunction with official testimony. That's not to say that they control GEN Petraeus' testimony, I spent too much time in his company to imagine his intellect much less his ego would allow that type of manipulation. The man is not without fault, but he's far from a mouth piece.

Live well and row

**Armchairguy** · 10-26-2007

Ken, Marc, I appreciate the infomation. It is illuminating. Do these cultural attributes apply to Afghanistan as well? I'm betting the haggling is the same, but are there nuances of difference in other areas? For instance the obligation to defend a guest. Is this common across the ME?

**marct** · 10-29-2007

Hi Armchairguy,

Originally Posted by Armchairguy

Ken, Marc, I appreciate the infomation. It is illuminating. Do these cultural attributes apply to Afghanistan as well? I'm betting the haggling is the same, but are there nuances of difference in other areas? For instance the obligation to defend a guest. Is this common across the ME?

Haggling is pretty much universal - it has only disappeared in the West over the past 150 years, and not in all places.

The obligation to defend a guest is another universal at least in any tribal culture that has a warrior ethos (some don't, but not many). The obligation is also reciprocal - the guest must defend the house of the host while under guest right there. In the West (mainly amongst the Germanic and Celtic tribes), this was called something like "guestright" or the laws of hospitality.

Marc

**Ken White** · 10-29-2007

earlier. I agree with Marc, would only add that my perception is that the defense of guest effort is more solid in Afghanistan than it is in the ME -- other than among the Kurds, where it is quite strongly entrenched. Mountain folks the world over tend to have slightly different mores than their flatland counterparts.

The Arabs and Persians IMO occasionally seem to be inclined to a more, er, pragmatic approach...