Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Let's Starting Marching Again! Sy Hersh: Military 'In War Against The White House'

Now's the time I would like to "Just say NO!" (Thanks to Susie Madrak for covering this one in my own semi-neighborhood.)

In a speech on Obama’s foreign policy, Hersh, who uncovered the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War and torture at Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraqi war, said many military leaders want Obama to fail.

“A lot of people in the Pentagon would like to see him get into trouble,” he said. By leaking information that the commanding officer in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, says the war would be lost without an additional 40,000 American troops, top brass have put Obama in a no-win situation, Hersh contended.“If he gives them the extra troops they’re asking for, he loses politically,” Hersh said. “And if he doesn’t give them the troops, he also loses politically.”

From the inestimable "Crooks and Liars" we learn the background surrounding Obama's decisions on whether to commit more troops to the AfPakIraq war - "So many of the saner people were driven out of the military during the Bush administration, it doesn't surprise me that the people left include a lot of the right-wing, racist fringe elements. Still, it's shocking to hear this:"

DURHAM — The U.S. military is not just fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, America’s most renowned investigative journalist says.

The army is also “in a war against the White House — and they feel they have Obama boxed in,” Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh told several hundred people in Duke University’s Page Auditorium on Tuesday night. “They think he’s weak and the wrong color. Yes, there’s racism in the Pentagon. We may not like to think that, but it’s true and we all know it.”

In a speech on Obama’s foreign policy, Hersh, who uncovered the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War and torture at Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraqi war, said many military leaders want Obama to fail.

“A lot of people in the Pentagon would like to see him get into trouble,” he said. By leaking information that the commanding officer in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, says the war would be lost without an additional 40,000 American troops, top brass have put Obama in a no-win situation, Hersh contended.“If he gives them the extra troops they’re asking for, he loses politically,” Hersh said. “And if he doesn’t give them the troops, he also loses politically.”

The journalist criticized the president for “letting the military do that,” and suggested the only way out was for Obama to stand up to them.“He’s either going to let the Pentagon run him or he has to run the Pentagon,” Hersh said. If he doesn’t, “this stuff is going to be the ruin of his presidency.”

Hersh called the “Af-Pak” situation — the spreading conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan — Obama’s main challenge.

The only way for the U.S. to extricate itself from the conflict, Hersh said, is to negotiate with the Taliban.

“It’s the only way out,” he said. “I know that there’s a lot of discussion in the White House about this now.

I have to agree with the logic (once again) inherent in Sy's reasoning.

It is the only way out.

Suzan _________________

2 comments:

Serving Patriot said...

Suzan,

All I can say is Pres O. had his chance to clean house and get rid of all the highly compromised top leadership (civilian and military) once he took office. Instead of canning McKiernan, he should have canned Petraeus, Mullen and the rest of the 3-star & up crowd. Realize that all these officers were elevated to their ranks under the last Administration (what makes anyone so sure some more Regent University-style pandering wasn't going on there?) AND they were all confirmed in thier positions by the Senate (IOW, they are inherently political appointees).

Instead, Pres O kept the entire crew, including the Republican SecDef, and even promoted more compromised (McChrystal... anyone remember his role in L'affaire Tilman?) into higher leadership.

Leaders lead. Cowards cower. I think Hersh is correctly capturing the contempt in the Pentagon. Too many of those guys forgot who they are fighting for. And why.

SPr

Cirze said...

We are soooooooo together on this, baby.

And I am sooooooooo in trouble with the naive Obama lovers.

From the beginning when he showed no doubt about leaving the financial criminals in charge of cleaning up their own house to leaving the worst war criminals in place and getting rid of any dissenters, he's completely changed my mind about his good intentions for me and the 99% of the country below that connected upper 1% plutocracy.

And I don't think that he's a coward. He is leading us confidently right over the edge.

If we don't start marching now, it will be too late.

Good Morning IRAN!!!

S

Instead of canning McKiernan, he should have canned Petraeus, Mullen and the rest of the 3-star & up crowd.

Instead, Pres O kept the entire crew, including the Republican SecDef, and even promoted more compromised (McChrystal... anyone remember his role in L'affaire Tilman?) into higher leadership.