Harry Reid, real men, and last nerves

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

This calls for a full Uncle J beatdown and hopefully I can film a good one tonight, but for now.

Harry Reid needs to hush his drooling cakehole, period. He no longer has anything even vaguely useful to say and his disrespect to Gens. Pace & Petraeus has earned him the clown of the year award.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "incompetent" during an interview Tuesday with a group of liberal bloggers, a comment that was never reported.

Reid made similar disparaging remarks about Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said several sources familiar with the interview.

You have got to be s**ting me! Harry Reid calling anyone incompetent is like Michael Moore calling them fat or Bill Clinton calling them unfaithful. Aside from the fact that they are both hugely accomplished men, for a thin-lipped, milquetoast, cream in the coffee, cadaver like Harry Reid to mouth off to them is just sorry. To do so simply to score political points with the hater wing of your party just points out how much trouble the Dems are in once the rest of the country gets a belly full of the nutroots.

Woudn't you just love for Reid, Petraeus and Pace to meet up in a Men's room and have the two Men give him a swirly prior to reminding him that he's not allowed up on the porch with the big dogs? Not to rub it in, but hasn't Harry Reid sucked Hoover as Majority Leader? Doesn't Mitch McConnell keep punking him on every gutless maneuver Reid attempts, every slap at our troops, every weaseling about timetables, and Reid has the unmitigated gall to call these men incompetent? Somebody needs to help this pitiful old fool to the sidelines, he's even making me feel bad for the Dems. Well, not really.

UPDATE: Cro who has the most excellent blog Military Motivator has today's tidbit of wisdom for us. He does these daily and ought to be a coffee-time motivational stop.

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Comments

[Cro]

Harry Reid is a piece of cr*p. Nothing more need be said.

[Uncle Jimbo]

Dude,

That is brilliant. So of course I stole it and linked you in the main piece if that is cool.

Cordially,

Uncle J

[Lands’nGrooves (aka tim)]

Part of me has a hard time taking Reid seriously. I mean, besides the fact that he is the Maj. Leader & we are at war, this pathetic, effeminate clown “cries wolf” so often his diatribes are like white noise at this point. To say this cretin is negative is like saying Rosie is fat.

As much as I like your beat down scenario UJ, Gen’s Petraeus and Pace have too much class & dignity to even be bothered one iota by the likes of Reid. Reid doesn’t have what it takes to even wash their skivvies. Now if some hulking Private with the disposition of a cornered wolverine was to be “mistakenly” let out of the brig and just happened to run into Reid…

[Rita]

Harry Reid makes comments like that because he is just jealous of the General Petraeus and Pace. Reid is not man enough to fit in their jock straps. let along fill one. Afterall, Reid must have a wanger the size of my pinkie toe.

[rgrmom82]

just looking at that makes me want to toss my
morning coffee...gerc. Does he remind you of something...it'll come to me....

The art is outstanding.

Oh yea, now I got it. This looks like a guy who dresses up in womens clothing in secret and is in to S/M bondage. What's in his closet? There's a tiggggger in there waiting to be released....hehehehhehe

[AE]

Folks,
It's a sleight of hand. The guy's trying to distract from the fact that he is accomplishing nothing and his approval rating is just slightly higher than the cigarette butts found in urinals.

I'm just amazed at the "tin ear" some pols show time and again. Of all the institutions to attack, the military should be close to the last (if not the last one). It's the only part of government that shows effective crisis management, flexibility of services (War? We'll cover it. Policing? Okay, we'll do it. Humanitarian mission? Sure thing. Nation-building? Fine, just give us the resources.), and is the closest thing to a meritocracy that the public sector ever developed. And this is the target of the Dems (Reid, Durbin, et.al.)? Questioning the character and work of the US military is just mind-blowing if you really think about it.

[Greybeard]

Someone please correct the spelling on the "Incompetence" poster. I'd like to steal and post it...
Good idea, but incompetent spelling!

[Jeffrey]

Harry Reid is an embarrassment to the Democratic party as well as to the country, and is another example of how the mediocre and the mentally dim-witted dominate politics.

[jordan]

Played on the radio this AM was Reid on the Senate floor reciting a Dr Suess book. Right up there with his Democratic response a couple of years ago, when he weirdly careened off the subject and started talking about some little boy at some old soda shop telling him something... He's not right in the head, and it's not entirely apparent because his senile rambling is edited by his MSM allies (they perform the same service for Murtha, who has to be cut extensively cut and spliced to seem coherant.)

Pace and Petraeus' records of service will speak for themselves, but it is galling to hear them slammed by someone of Reid's stature. Petraeus has told every interviewer that you can't judge the surge yet because all the surge forces aren't in place yet (the WaPo forgot that too in their article today) but Reid insists the show's over. Pace's televised testimonies have routinely spelled out myriad difficulties and challenges, from the very beginning. One representative shot is at the tail end of YouTube U.S. Military - How We Fight.

Well, things started looking good in Anbar, and the same things were being established in Diyala, so the Dems and AQ panicked. The U.S. might succeed! Think fast! Do something! Declare defeat before any more good stuff happens! Whew, thanks for that Samarra minaret bombing, AQ. Just in the knick of time.

[rgrmom82]

Jordan! Great post:)
You nailed it!

[mahoney]

To make this worse, any active duty or retired soldier, marine, or airman can not refute Reid without risking thier job or pension.

I would expect that this comment might be the end of his career.

[Mommynator]

I saw that headline this morning and just about stroked out. Good thing I work in a hospital.

I could only wish some annoyed military personnel would get him in a dark alley.

How dare he!!!

[Cro]

Doh...corrected at the link Greybeard...like Mommynator..I was too pissed to think straight!

[rgrmom82]

tO TAKE THIS DOWN TO A MICROCOSMIC level:

A message from the sandbox:

"hey mom hope everything is well. i'm doing ok but the monotony of my days is starting to wear me down a bit. Whatever. How is work? Hows the new house? I'm doing ok...."

More in there about new squad leaders, men who had to go home and needing his cell phone bill paid. But mostly he loves me. That's my soldier, my son.

That is why everytime I see Harry Reid I want to
scream. Take the politics and tie Harry around it's ankle and drown it in the cess pool that is DC. Keep up the good work UJ, B5. It matters.

[Jonny Quest]

Uh oh -- another item from the Matt Sanchez school of observation and commentary. The report you link to says Reid made these remarks to "liberal bloggers." Who? When? Where?

The word "incompetent" is the only one quoted from this alleged interview. Must have been a short one. The rest of the piece is a partisan rehash of events long since past and published.

There aren't any links to the said liberal bloggers because somehow not a one of them reported the comments. How in the world could that be? I guess they wanted to protect Harry Reid's reputation by keeping these shocking statements quiet. If you use your Google on the Internets, though, you'll find that "incompetent" is an adjective oft employed by war critics to describe both Bush's conduct of it and the performance of various individuals.

Anyway -- you wrote a fun rant, especially seeing it was based on next to nothing.

[Nolan School]

There is anger, then there’s rage, and ultimately there is whatever the f**k I felt when I read a report of Reid’s comments and the Democratic Party’s whole new policy of attacking the military leaders who support their president…which happens to be in an oath or two they take as bond and trust upon accepting such unrewarding responsibility as Pace.

Damn you, Harry Reid. I still have the taste of bile in my mouth and that electric-coppery taste you get when you are so damn mad that words fail you…and you know that exacting physical satisfaction ain’t going to happen without massive jail time for the seeker of justice.

There is Politics, there are Politicians, and there are a large number of empty suits in the Senate and House who make their mark by being vapid, repetitive drumbeaters for the destruction of all things military and patiotic. Reid is but one of these reptiles but he has the megaphone along with others who have only their venom against the current administration and the Military in general to make them attractive to their party.

I regret that ANYONE has heard the comments this porcine-swinoid creature has given regarding to fine men who’s only mis-step was to take on the responsibility of the country’s business at the sharp end of the stick to be second-guessed by Second Rate Senators like the undistinguished gentleman from Nevada. Battle-Born my ass.

I don’t know the whole story, but I do know that General Pace is a gentleman of honor and definite brilliance, I know from my personal experience that General Petreaus is regarded by his troops (all of them, Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force) as the real deal and a breath of life to a complex cause…a commander with a purpose. I apologize to all the Generals and men of honor who have been singled out by this dolt, Harry Reid. He ain’t MY senator, he is a pretender.

We’re entering dark and dangerous territory in the cycle of my beloved country’s history now.

God help us…or is that statement non-PC in the new left order?

[rgrmom82]

Sic em ...little johnny didn't like your premise for humiliating the "leadership".

Johnny has no flesh in the grinder so he can be smug.

[rgrmom82]

God help us indeed....PC be damned

[AE]

Anyway -- you wrote a fun rant, especially seeing it was based on next to nothing.

Two things:

1) Does this strike you as really out of character for Reid and

2) At this point, aren't comments (such as those alleged) really just becoming par for the course for Dems?

You can be amused if you like. However, it's not as if this can be considered beyond believable. The Dems accuse our troops of being terrorists (Kerry), NAZIs( Durbin), etc. To add "incompetent" is almost a step up.

[Al]

If you want to understand why liberals seem to be against everything that is good and supportive of everything that is bad, take some time and watch this talk by Evan Sayet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c . It's called "How Modern Liberals Think" and it is phenomenal. I have wondered for years why liberals are like they are. Evan's talk explains it and brings into focus just about everything liberals do and why logic bounces off them. It's 40 minutes long and I've watched parts of it many times now - it's that good.

[Howhurley]

The real problem is how much the Washington culture corrupts good men. Harry Reid, although he is despicable now, used to be a reasonably honorable man (I never agreed with his politics.) He has walked the fine line that is Las Vegas with a reasonable nature and a strong idea of doing what is right.

We own the government. We are (at fault??) responsible for our "kids running in the street". We need to rein them in, because they think they are a power unto themselves.

They are not. They are simply our representatives. They have NO POWER other than what WE give them.

Harry Reid is an example of that. This simply will not do.

[Mommynator]

Here's a link for the news-impaired little twerp:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070613203802.7yla5iav&show_article=1

[Jonny Quest]

No, Harry Reid ain't my idea of a leader; OK -- maybe he could be chief stockboy at my grocery.

But that's not my point. My point is I'd sure like to know what he actually said and not get it in the sketchiest possible way reported secondhand (best case) or third- or fourthhand (more likely).

And no, I wouldn't say that ad hominem attacks on the military leadership or on the folks in the ranks are SOP for Democrats. The examples you cite -- for God's sake, you really have to contort your brain to oversimplify those the way you do.

As to the talk about "how liberals think" -- you can skip the 40 minute low-res video and just take my word that we all have horns and pointy tails. Just doin' The Devil's work is all we're about (and loving it!).

[Jonny Quest]

Mommynator:

That's "big twerp" to you.

Thanks for the link. You might want to read the story there yourself. It has nothing to do with the Politico comment that's gotten your bloomers in a bunch other than the fact it has Harry Reid's name in it. The rest of it refers to a letter and other news reported on Reid's own site.

[charron]

Hey jonny, where is your bodyguard Roger "Race" Bannon? Dr. Quest ought to smack your ass for those comments.

[kev]

Hey Jimbo---
Did you really believe that you were going to get any form of arguement with this topic. The dems know that he is wrong and hopes he goes away before election year. Great post...Captain of the obvious.

[Jonny Quest]

charron: Race Bannon is standing by with the nunchuks, though he's been instructed not to act unless someone appears with a noose.

A liberal activist judge sent Dr. Quest off to the hoosegow for first-degree assault after he tried to spank me last time, so no more corporal punishment for me.

[Nolan School]

John Bresnahan wrote the article in POLITICO. Perhaps somebody who isn't sneaking a look at the blogs at work could ask him for details of interest.

[Uncle Jimbo]

That's retired Master Sergeant of the Obvious to you, Staff.

I think it's funny that JQ wants to scold me for flying off the handle in a wicked beatdown on the first thinly-sourced thing that makes my opponents look bad. Isn't that what I do?

That's my gig, my shtick my contribution to our great political discourse. Aren't there enough people writing reasoned sensible commentary that attacks or defends a position with facts and logic? Of course there are, so I provide the spice that gives the game some flavor.

I do appreciate that you are a fan of the beatdowns JQ, and I think the obvious question is what did you do with Haji? Oh and we wil do the deciding what sized twerp you get to be.

Cordially,

Uncle J

[Ymarsakar]

They're just trying to condition you into a poodle, Jim. They got the whole negative reinforcement thing down pat. They'll nag you until you start being buddy buddy with the correct behavior with Reid and Co, then they'll fade away.

[Frank M.]

I'd like to send Harry a brand new industrial grade shovel . . . so he can continue digging his hole even deeper.

[Nolan School]

"Aren't there enough people writing reasoned sensible commentary that attacks or defends a position with facts and logic? Of course there are, so I provide the spice that gives the game some flavor."

Affirmative, therefore the value blogs has in the public consciousness grows. I come here to listen, to read and react. There is depth here and the "Retired Master Sergeant of the Obvious" has provided a ready and open forum.

Kindred spirits, we mourn the attack on good men from lesser men.

Thoughts are welcome and valued, attacks on individuals of distinction lack class...wherever and whenever made with no avenue or conduit of response.

The recorded statements are plenty enough, the specifics of the Bresnahan post (as seen at Drudge) might require some specificity in details but the tone is consistent and it is the nature of the beast in terms of the MSM to attack along with the Leaders of the Left those who stand in their way.

If a military man attacks a congressman by quote or by second-hand report...his career can end in a day. Congress is not bound by that honor.

Mainly, folks...it is just sad.

Loyalty to your government, serving the Commander in Chief should not be viewed as career-limiting for general offices. It's the way we have set our government up, it works, let it roll on.

I can live with the fact that Harry Reid is a pompous ass...somebody in Nevada loves him. He can display some courtesy to the spear holders, or should.

[Don Miguel]

For those few people who think that Reid is not capable of saying what was reported in this post, let me point out what he did say last week in reference to the immigration bill:

"... bring the twelve million undocumented Americans out of the Shadows."

It speaks for itself.

[Ymarsakar]

Out of the shadows and into the loving and compassionate arms of the Democrat party.

[AE]

undocumented Americans

I can see that spun into many new directions. Heard a comic (or osmeone) say that "undocumented workers" is like calling a drug dealer an "undocumented pharmacist."

Someone breaks into your house to burgle something? An "undocumented guest."

A guy heists a truck of cigarettes? An "undocumented retailer."

[JihadGene]

TO: Uncle JimBlow, C/O Brack 5, USA (Home to the thief's of Algore's Prezidental erection in 2000)

FLOM: Great Reader, woket-launcher extraordinaire, a very Aquarius (delivered frum heaven on 16 Feb 1942) kind of guy... clad in Dark Green, with one hell of an image....err..imagination!

UncleJimBlow I'm hold up mine glass filled with Korea's best Jin-Roe (embalming fluid) and Saw-root (salute) you for commentary's on Comrade Harry Weid!!!
Now I'm leaf you with words of wizzdome from Samuel Clemens-san

I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.
- Mark Twain in Eruption

[JihadGene]

Jonny Quest,

You keep this sh*t up and I'll have to show you my King Cobra again, bitch!

Luv you looong time,
Haji

[gedicht]

I guess the best I can do is:

"I would not piss on him if he was on fire"
and
"I'm sure his gravesite will be the greenest with its daily dosage of manure"

Herr Reid has earned the enmity of any who serve more than themselves by his casual politically mercenary commentaries. I'm sure he will get as much attention and respect that Pvt Murtha gets when he visits Military facilities.

[rgrmom82]

Johnny, refferencing Mommynators bloomers may have been a tactical error, also, the spanking thing...overshare. Jmho

[douglas]

I just get a kick out of the irony of the Stalinist message management practiced by the lib bloggers. Conveniently unreported by a whole conference call of bloggers. Anyone got a list of who are involved in suppressing the information?

[Ymarsakar]

overshare. Jmho

At least it explains some of his behavior here, rgr.

[katana]

This is an outstanding blog!

[OPFOR]

Reid is certainly a looser, no denying that. It seems to me though that Pace is a pretty big looser too. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he's a stud as a person, but ultimately he's failed in his mission. And good lord was that an important mission to have dropped the ball on! Instead of soldiering up and speaking candidly about what he needed to win and really changing things up strategically and support wise to make this happen, he seems to have been content to just keep on keepin'-on with the same failed strategy. Classic ticket puncher. We've seen so many of these types by now we should know that the no-risk, uninventive leadership won't work for cracking a really tough nut (it is great for just day to day base/post/unit management and maintenance).

In summary, although Reed is clearly a bozo, it doesn't mean that the issue of failed military leadership isn't valid. Why does it take a "weak-sister" like him to point it out?!!!

[Realist]

A couple of facts:

Pace has been fired by the Bush administration. Why? Because he did an outstanding job?

Reid called his competence into question in a one on one meeting. What’s wrong with that? Isn’t someone responsible for the disaster that is Iraq?

Realist

[referman]

are reid and the p lady getting it on,I pray they dont have little peloses,those would be hemroids and little reids would resemble an infectuous boil on your ass.a match made below the belt.oooooyuck!

[rgrmom82]

refer,

thank you for the indelible visual brain worm...

holy cr*p.....I told you there were whips involved

[douglas]

'realist': He wasn't fired by the Bush admin, Dems like that chump Levin insisted that if they sent Pace back up for re-confirmation, they'd make it a circus. That benefitted no one, and there's really no way around it if the Dems want to play stupid political games like that. Pace did the honorable thing and bowed out, so Gates could keep things moving forward instead of getting bogged down in more political muck with the Defeatocrats.

Isn’t someone responsible for the disaster that is Iraq?

I'd lay the largest share of blame on the Dems for spearheading the terrorists PR war.
How's that for laying blame.

[Ken]

Harry Reid has been a POS since my first experience with him when he first ran for Lt. Gov. in 1970. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I'm a Nevadan. It's too bad he's not up for re-election until 2010. I'd like to think that the garbage he's been spewing the last few months will be remembered and get him thrown out on his ear.

I'm going to send that Incompetance jpg to him and ask when his islamic conversion ceremony is scheduled.

[Casey Tompkins]

Yo, Johnny Quest: would you accept the story if Reid himself admits that's what he said?

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confirmed Thursday that he told liberal bloggers last week that he thinks outgoing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace is "incompetent."

Reid acknowledged similarly disparaging Army Gen. David Petraeus, head of Multinational Forces in Iraq.

But Reid, whose comments to bloggers first appeared in The Politico, also told reporters: "I think we should just drop it."

Uncle Jimbo, I respectfully request that you reiterate your beat-down, but with a little more backhand this time around... ;)

[Cincinnati_Bob]

All I can say to reid, kucinich, and the rest of the cry babies banking on support from America haters, is Bring it On and Keep Bringing it On through the elections.

I admit that polls to me are like counting Libs in San Fran, but I did hear that GWB had 29% and Congress, which is basically reid, pelosi, kucinich and the rest of the oxygen stealers - 19%. So while America might hate the idea of voting for Repubs when they start falling like fireflies in September from indictments et al., and don't do anything they promsed to do domestically, at least I think I can bank on America realizing that the Dem incompetence and criminality is worse than the red teams' and that it will cost them more in taxes to get even less.

And if America wants America haters running the show, then hey, what can you do.

Maybe that will entice Iran to go far enough to earn a response, not that they haven't already.

I read a piece in the Boston Globe about how it is Israel's fault that HAM-ES ad FAT-A are in civil war because of the retreat from Gaza Strip. Yes, really. Out of control.

[Uncle Jimbo]

Dear Casey,

It is on the way.

Cordially,

Uncle J

[Ghost of Habu, The Pit Viper]

Harry, Harry, Harry....

All that time you spent watching (and learning, we thought) Bill Frist screw up time & time again as Senate President....

Reality check here - Even the most neophyte gambler (and remember, you're from Nevada - Las Vegas, hint, hint) knows that you don't take cheap shots against the US military for no good reason. It's a total sucker bet, odds just aren't in your favor, so why go there in the first place?

You're starting to make the other Democratic Senators long for the days when they were back in the minority. At least then they had a plan - It was 100% "Obstructionist All The Time", agreed, but at least it was a plan.

Now you go and attack the military leadership, and by defination, POLITIZE the entire situation. Now, if it was the other way around, you'd be attacking some part or person in the military for injecting politics into what would otherwise should be a military issue. Here, you're the one doing it. NOT SMART.

Harry, you do realize that the most remarkable historical equivelent to your Congressional interference with military leadership is all the back to the American Civil War? You might want to go back and read your history books, because it wasn't pretty.

The funnest thing to me is going to be watching where Jim Webb (D-VA) comes down on this one. Talk about needing to be a contortionist, because once he makes a remark, expect John McCain to jump in. And great fun will be had by all as Harry spends his time trying to reverse his most recent self inflicted case of rectal-cranial inversion.

Man, the Opp Briefing Book for your next election is going to be a doozie. Going to have to move it around with a forklift at the rate you're going. And all the youtube video clips...... :)

[markg8]

Let's remember Gates fired Pace, not Reid. We now have a War Czar, SecDef and an incoming Chair of the Joint Chiefs who are all skeptical of the surge.

What does that tell ya?

[Dustyvet]

Harry Reid should be tarred and feathered and ran out of Washington D.C. on a rail, along with John Kerry!

[FbL]

Markg8,

Pace was not "fired." Gates decided (after already drawing up the papers) that a re-nomination of Pace would be too divisive--after Democratic senators told him straight up they would make his nomination hearings hell for Bush.

And ask to "skepticism..." Links, please.

[Steve J.]

Reid is correct about Partisan Hack Pace. IF Pace were a man, he would've resigned rather than tolerate Rumsfeld's bloody incompetence.

[Ymarsakar]

What does that tell ya?

Posted by: markg8 | Jun 14, 2007 10:58:08 PM

Tells me we need Teddy Roosevelt pushing the nuke commands for Syria and Iran.

[AE]

Folks are hanging their hat on the "wisdom" of Harry Reid.

What does THAT tell you?

[Cpl Frank USMC Retired(66-69)]

Go Read bobgieger.com June 14th's article on Reid/Pace. Read the 5th paragraph,kinda's blows all you Right-wing, Bush Sycophants, lies to hell!

[bthun]

Maybe someone needs to explain this one to me because I just read the "The Politico Fails Journalism 100" posting at bobgeiger.com (URL sites spelling has been corrected and linked for your viewing pleasure) where Mr. Geiger says,

"I was on that call. And let me explain to The Politico why I did not report on it.

It's because those of us who actually participated in the conference call heard the context in which Senator Reid made his comments. What he said about Pace was not said in the spirit of throwing some rhetorical red meat to a bunch of liberal bloggers by gratuitously bashing General Pace -- which is certainly what one could infer from The Politicos "reporting" on this story.

Rather, Reid was talking informally about George W. Bush's refusal to dump Alberto Gonzales and told us what he said to Pace in a private meeting before Bush tossed aside the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff like a rotting fish.

Here's exactly what Reid said:

"I guess the president, uh, he's gotten rid of Pace because he could not get him confirmed here in the Senate… Pace is also a yes-man for the president and I told him to his face, I laid it out to him last time he came to see me, I told him what an incompetent man I thought he was."

So, did Reid utter the word "incompetent" in the same sentence with General Pace's name on the conference call? Yes, he did.

But in the context in which it was said -- and based on Reid's tendency to speak like the straight-talking, former boxer that he is -- it all makes sense. And to those of us not looking for a Matt Drudge-worthy story, it hardly seemed remarkable."

And I have to confess that I'm at a loss as to how that blows what Uncle Jimbo (right-wing Boosh sycophant that he is and all of us are, or as they say, et al) posted all to heck.

I mean it’s not as if one high ranking public official, trash talks another leader, as in the leader of the US Senate calling the Chairman of the JCS "incompetent" is any big whoop... Nahhh... that is absolutely and wholly unremarkable in this day and age.

And without doubt we should all agree with the opinion of those who think Reid is the man of honor and Gen. Pace is a windsock to public opinion and/or the CIC's direction with regard to his conduct.

Now the really big question that I have is this, should I have used any slurs or off-color names directed towards those with whom I disagree in this comment?

I guess I’ll just never play with the big guys because if I call someone something unfit for public consumption, I prefer to do it privately and face to face.

[bthun]

And I try (and have been known to fail miserably, but...) pretty hard to never share that bit of confidential confrontation with others afterwards... but I guess that just an old fashioned idea these days.

So no, I guess it's no big deal huh?

[Beth* A.]

As it turns out, Peter Pace refused to 'quit voluntarily'. And he did that for an excellent reason; 'Marines don't quit'. He just impressed the he!! out of me;

Here's the link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070615/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq

[bthun]

Yep as I asked in my comment above, who is the windsock, Gen. Pace or the politico's around him?

IMO it's not the General.

[jordan]

Cpl Franks, thank you for the reference to Bob Geiger. I'm not sure what Bush synchophant ideas you're talking about (?) but no one around here has said everything is peachy in Iraq. We have military commenting from Iraq, as well as others just returned, and families who have lost a relative or had one wounded. I've also seen alot of criticism of Bush here.

Like most liberal Bush-haters, Bob sets up a strawman, then knocks it down, rather than honestly portraying the conservative viewpoint. He's also very good at picking out an article here or there that reports what he wants to hear, even citing the Army and Marine Corps Times and the Stars and Stripes, without caveats.

When using these sources, you shouldn't imply that these publications are the military's own, and that's why they're accurate. A few months ago, Greyhawk on Mudville outlined the ownership and bent of these publications, and many military people weighed in in comments to say what they thought of those publications. If you're going to use these as sources, you need to spell it out -- what's their ownership, and what's been their record of editorial view on the war. Representing sources honestly and accurately is also taught in journalism school.

Also, using single sources as proof of absolute veracity usually isn't a sound method. Families who are interested in an unvarnished, true picture of what their loved ones in Iraq are experiencing aren't interested in "happy talk". Far from it. They check multiple sources against each other, then see how those reports square with their personal phone conversations with a relative in Iraq, or private emails. Multiple sources looking at it from multiple angles helps you build a picture of what's really happening. Theoretically, journalists do this, too. This is one war where one paper isn't sufficient to base sweeping statements about the situation on.

[jordan]

Moreover, Geiger points to the WaPo's headline "No Drop in Iraq Violence Seen Since Troop Buildup". The story is continued on page A20. There, it's headline is "Pentagon Report on Iraq Depicts Limited Gains Since Troop Increase."

Limited gains? Gains? Here on A30, a graph is included that purports to show before and after reports of violence. The part under "After Troop Surge" is for Feb. 2007. That wasn't "after the surge". The surge had barely begun at that point, and units were just trailing in. In no way were all surge forces even in theater, let alone in position and operating.

Only today have I heard reported that all surge forces are now in theater. Letting it work for a couple months fully manned was the idea behind a Sept. report. Geiger leaves out the second half of the story,

[warvet48]

This has been some excellent posting. Reid needs to shut his trap, due to the garbage that comes out of it. And he and Pelosi making little demo monsters...that just ain't right....lol