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14 November 2012 By Stephen
Lendman Some observers call Washington a
city of scandals. Lots of intrigue reflects daily life
in the nation's capital. Elected and appointed
officials come and go. Most often it's uneventful. Other
times once powerful figures fell from grace or
scandals affecting them rose to the level of affixing
a "gate" suffix on what happened. Watergate, Whitewatergate, Iran/Contragate,
Koreagate, Travelgate, and Troopergate among others
come to mind. Perhaps Petraeusgate will enter
the lexicon of political scandals. You read it here
first. Forget resignation over
extramarital sex nonsense unless state secrets were
compromised. Lots of elected and appointed Washington
officials had affairs. Many likely have current ones.
Resignations don't generally
follow. Newt Gingrich survived sex and ethics
scandals. He resigned as House Speaker after the
Republicans faired poorly in 1998 off-year elections.
In 1999, extramarital sex
defrocked Speaker-elect Bob Livingstone. He could have
stayed, but opted to become a high-paid DC lobbyist. Extramarital affairs didn't
defrock past notable officials. They included
Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Buchanan,
Grover Cleveland, Warren Harding, Franklin Roosevelt,
Dwight Eisenhower (during WW II), Jack Kennedy, Lyndon
Johnson, and Bill Clinton. Unconfirmed rumors also
surfaced about GHW and GW Bush. Jimmy Carter once admitted to
having "lusted in his heart," but never let it go
further than that. As more information and rumors
surface, expect lots more written about Petraeus.
Another emperor has no clothes. Petraeus was more
paper hero than real one. The man behind the image was
fake. He's a shadow of how he and spin doctors
portrayed him publicly. Competence didn't earn him four
stars. Former peers accused him of brown-nosing his
way to the top. It made him a brand as much as
general. Talk about him being presidential material
surfaced. In 2007, Time magazine made him
runner-up as Person of the Year. The designation is as
meaningless and unworthy as Nobel Peace awards. So is current and previous
praise. John McCain once called him "one of (our)
greatest generals." His judgment leaves much to be
desired. He's not the best and brightest
on Capitol Hill. He once admitted to graduating near
the bottom of his Naval Academy class. White House and media spin
praised Petraeus' performance as Iraq commander and
CENTCOM head. It was falsified hype. Performance
contradicted facts. Iraq was more disaster than
success. His Afghanistan surge failed. Syria on his
CIA watch didn't fare better. Before he fell from grace, he was
called aggressive in nature, an innovative thinker on
counterinsurgency warfare, a talisman, a white knight,
a do-or-die competitive legend, and a man able to turn
defeat into victory. In 2008, James Petras described
him well in an article titled "General Petraeus:
Zionism's Military Poodle. From Surge to Purge to
Dirge." He explained what spin doctors
concealed. He quoted Petraeus' former commander,
Admiral William Fallon, calling him "a piece of
brown-nosing chicken shit." Petras added: "In theory and strategy, in
pursuit of defeating the Iraqi resistance, General
Petraeus was a disastrous failure, an outcome
predictable form the very nature of his appointment
and his flawed wartime reputation." The generalissimo is more myth
than man. He shamelessly supported Israel "in northern
Iraq and the Bush 'Know Nothings' in charge of Iraq
and Iran policy planning." Petraeus had few competitors to
head CENTCOM. It was because other candidates wouldn't
stoop as low as he did. He shamelessly flacked for
Israel and supported Bush administration
belligerence. Petras criticized his "slavish
adherence to....confrontation with Iran. Blaming Iran
for his failed military policies served a double
purpose - it covered up his incompetence and it
secured the support of" uberhawk Senator Joe
Lieberman. Doing so also served his unstated
presidential ambitions. He climbed the ladder of
success by being super-hawkish, brown-nosing the right
superiors, lying to Congress, surviving the scorn of
some peers, hiding his failures, hyping a fake Iranian
threat, supporting Israel, unjustifiably claiming Iraq
success, and boasting how he'd do it throughout the
region. In other words, he hoped to rise
to the top by manufacturing successes and concealing
failures. Manipulated media hype made a hero out of
what Petras called "a disastrous failure" with a
record to prove it. Petraeus benefitted from
supporting Bush imperial ambitions and Israel's
regional agenda. At one time, the Israeli Lobby loved
him. Perhaps no longer after March 2010. In testimony
before the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said: "The enduring hostilities between
Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct
challenges to our ability to advance our interests in
the AOR (Area of Operations)." "Israeli-Palestinian tensions
often flare into violence and large-scale armed
confrontations. The conflict foments anti-American
sentiment, due to a perception of US favoritism for
Israel." "Arab anger over the Palestinian
question limits the strength and depth of US
partnerships with governments and peoples in the AOR
and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the
Arab world." "Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other
militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize
support. The conflict also gives Iran influence in the
Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hizballah and
Hamas." In other words, Petraeus echoed
others saying Israeli interests often run counter to
America's. The so-called special relationship at times
does more harm than good. At the same time, Petraeus very
much supports Washington's imperial agenda. Apparently
he believes achieving it depends on delinking from
Israeli interests when they harm America's. Anti-Defamation League head Abe
Foxman responded angrily, saying: "Gen. Petraeus has simply erred
in linking the challenges faced by the US and
coalition forces in the region to a solution of the
Israeli-Arab conflict, and blaming extremist
activities on the absence of peace and the perceived
US favoritism for Israel. This linkage is dangerous
and counterproductive." This may have contributed to his
leaving. Challenging Israeli Lobby power is high-risk.
Perhaps it decided Petraeus had to go. Whether so or not, he's a
four-star, now defrocked, failure. Another paper
emperor has no clothes. He never did but now we know. Other opinions surfaced on why he
left. WND breaking news said: "Forget what you've heard - could
this be why Petraeus resigned?" Speculation "focus(ed)
in large part on his role in an alleged cover-up of
the attacks against the U.S. mission in Benghazi this
past September." Overlooked are secret CIA
Benghazi operations. Involved are heavy weapons sent
to Syrian opposition fighters. Petraeus left days
before his scheduled congressional testimony. He'll either come voluntarily or
be subpoenaed. What he'll be asked or say remains to
be seen. If it's too controversial, expect closed
hearings. The Benghazi operation is
erroneously called a US consulate. It's "a meeting
place to coordinate aid for the rebel-led insurgencies
in the Middle East." Tasks performed include
"collaborating with Arab countries on the recruitment
of fighters – including jihadists – to target Bashar
al-Assad's regime in Syria." Consulate designation provides
cover. Obama and Clinton call the post a "US mission."
The State Department lists no consulate in Benghazi. WND reported earlier that
ambassador Stevens "played a central role in
recruiting (anti-Assad) jihadists." He coordinated
with Saudi and Qatari efforts. Fighters go to Syria
via Turkey. Washington claims only non-lethal
aid is provided. In fact, the CIA and perhaps Pentagon
are actively involved in arming anti-Assad fighters. Agency efforts to conceal its
operations may have contributed to Stevens' death.
Perhaps Petraeus is blamed and was sacked. Letting him
resign for any reason is how Washington usually
orchestrates exits. Why he chose extramarital sex
he'll have to explain. Robert Parry said Petraeus'
departure "removes the last high-ranking
neoconservative holdover from George W. Bush's
administration and gives the reelected President
Barack Obama more maneuvering room to negotiate a
settlement over Iran's nuclear program." Petraeus wasn't an Obama
favorite. He had suspect loyalties. An unnamed
administration source said "some key figures close to
the President wanted (him) out, and there was no
sadness" to see him go. The New York Times and Washington
Post said FBI investigations began months age into a
"potential criminal matter." It wasn't focused on
Petraeus. Information surfaced about a
potentially compromised computer he used. Security
concerns were raised. FBI agents discussed this with
him. An unnamed congressional official
briefed on the matter urged him to fall on his sword
and leave. Whether he did or was pushed who knows. Parry thinks Obama is "clearing
the decks (to) move ahead more aggressively with his
own foreign policy." Defense Secretary Gates is gone.
Now Petraeus, and word is Clinton and others want out
or will be replaced. Perhaps Obama "learned a key
lesson of modern Washington: surrounding yourself with
ideological and political rivals may sound good, but
it is usually an invitation to have your policies
sabotaged." Ray McGovern is a retired CIA officer (1963 - 1990), turned activist and political critic. He's also a valued Progressive Radio News Hour guest. In April 2011, he wrote about "Petraeus at CIA - Can He Tell the Truth?" He said Obama picking him as CIA director "raise(d) troubling questions." "What if CIA analysts assess(ed)" his Iraq and Afghanistan performance as failure? Would he accept or punish "critical analysis?" "The Petraeus appointment also suggests that the President places little value on getting the straight scoop on these key war-related issues." "If he did want the kind of intelligence analysis that, at times, could challenge the military, why is he giving the CIA job to a general with a huge incentive to gild the lily regarding the 'progress' made under his command?" McGovern compared Petraeus to the "ghost of Westmoreland Past." His Southeast Asia record included "deliberate distortion and dishonesty." Intelligence analysts proved it. Progress he touted was failure. Petraeus appears to be Westmoreland redux. Lots of evidence confirms it. Now he's gone. Expect lots more said about him. It remains to be seen how much dirty linen will be aired. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War" http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour |
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