Losing the War in Afghanistan? Blame Rolling Stone, Suggests Geraldo Rivera

There seems to be a broad consensus amongst pundits on the left and right that President Obama was justified in firing Gen. Stanley McChrystal, after the general's aides made disparaging remarks about the administration (and Vice President Biden, in particular). The comments were published in a Rolling Stone article that hit newsstands today.

And now some pundits are making the reporter, Michael Hastings, out to be the bad guy. Here's what Fox News contributor Geraldo Rivera had to say:

"I don't know exactly what the rules were in this particular case but it seems to me that whoever was in charge of putting that reporter with those soldiers in that context allowed a rat to be in an eagle's nest. And for him to take a comment like…[that] we call [Biden] "bite me," that is a comment that if reported has strategic implications."

True, there are strategic implications: We learned that the top general in Afghanistan surrounds himself with idiots. As KT McFarland points out in the video, public officials and their aides should know better than to make disparaging and derogatory remarks in front of reporters. Far from having jeopardized our mission in Afghanistan—which is what Rivera is implying—the Rolling Stone article reveals important details about the people McChrystal relied on. Like, for instance, the McChrystal aide who described a meeting with a French minister as "fucking gay." Does this sound like the best team to head a war effort where the U.S. needs to win the hearts and minds of the people in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

I suspect Rivera is probably just jealous that someone went out and did real reporting for a change. Other journalists are jealous, too. Check out Jon Stewart making fun of them here.

UPDATE: On top of being wrong, Rivera is also a hypocrite. Check out this CNN report from 2003, when Rivera triggered an actual strategic crisis by drawing a map of sensitive U.S. troop movements in Iraq and filming it.

Comments

[Aresen]

From here on in, the current VP of the US will be known as "Joe Bite-me."

[J sub D]

General McChrystal and his aides said disparaging things about Joe Biden. Aside from the political folly of saying it in front of a reporter, is there anyone politically savvy on this planet who doesn't say disparaging things about Joe Biden?

I would be disappointed to find that Obama and his senior aides didn't start mocking the twit as soon as he leaves the room.

C'mon team blue fanboys, will somebody, anybody, step up to the plate and defend this useless career fuckup?

[db]

Not a member of Team Blue, but I will say he's demonstrated a strong capacity for winning elections. That, alone among all else, is the key to evaluation in politicians in a democracy. The hell with doing what's right for the country, the constitution or the republic. This man has played his constituency and the rules to a tee. The man can say ridiculous things in public, and his reputation for gaffes is used as a free pass.

The man is untouchable, partly because he's cultivated a persona of being just outspoken enough most of the time to excuse his major slip-ups. Whether this is intentional or through stupidity doesn't seem to matter to the only metric that is important to holding a job in our "representative" democracy.

[Jersey Patriot]

I like IOZ's take on the matter. Opening admitting that you're killing civilians posing no threat for no particular reason is a cost of war, but giving the Vice President a stupid nickname is a firing offense. Bizarre.

[?]

As an aside, I'd like to note that a not insignificant percentage of the "General Betray-Us" crowd are the same folks who--almost with one voice--just called Obama's choice of McChrystal's replacement "brilliant."

[wylie]

As an aside, I'd like to point out that The Sun is "a downer".

GET ON THE KILL-TRAIN BABY!!!

Everyone just kill as many people as possible, its what the founding father, your fathers, and the polar bears want....KILL EVERYTHING, NOW!!!

[?]

I'm an upper now, but I'll be a downer tonight.
Thanks. I'll be here all eon.
Be sure to tip your brown dwarfs.

[TallDave]

He was "one of us" to them. That's why we had ROEs under which troops couldn't even blow up abandoned houses but instead had to get killed clearing them.

[hmm]

Last I checked unless you have managed to pass a US military flight school as a fighter pilot, US SF training, or SAS training you probably don't have the proven standing to be calling anyone on his staff an idiot. They may have made stupid mistakes, but what do you expect in a room full of type A guys.

You could ask why a reporter was allowed to be embedded at that level by the Pentagon.

Does this sound like the best team to head a war effort where the U.S. needs to win the hearts and minds of the people in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

Yes it does. Because if I need people killed I don't ask or want some PC intellectual. I ask/want the guy that will go kill people and do it well. Again another reason not to go to war unless you absolutely have to.

At least you got it right that Rivera is a douche.

[In Time Of War]

I was a ground pounder. Anyone at that level in the military is an idiot. The folks in question ain't exactly Patton.

[Toolbag]

God damn right, I worked very closely with ground pounders. People at McChrystal's level ie. O-5 an above, are more concerned with their own image and prospects than reality. We pay the price for their vanity and incompetence.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Pretty broad brush you're painting with there. What unit were you in?

[Toolbag]

Prophet PLT, Aco, 1STB, 1BDE, 4ID

[The Art-P.O.G.]

HQ PLT, BCo, 16STB, 16SB, 21ST TSC

[Toolbag]

I don't envy you being in HQ PLT. Not sure what TSC is though. That's a new one on me. uhhgh HQ PLT tough life.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

In my case not exactly the tip of the spear, but who's complaining?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Theater Sustainment Command. Really just in a Sustainment Brigade, you know. Yeah HQ was high visibility though, ugh.

[Toolbag]

Sounds like and FSB. My hat is off to FSBs they have to travel the roads to run LOGPACs far more then I did for OPs and such.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Some of the soldiers from my unit were on the road constantly. Not me, though, and it actually seemed like mostly other battalions that were hitting the road. My brother was an 88M in the earlier part of OIF though, so I know how hairy that can get.

[Toolbag]

Sounds like and FSB. My hat is off to FSBs they have to travel the roads to run LOGPACs far more then I did for OPs and such.

[AA]

1st PLT 1/1CAV 1AD

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I used to work in Shop Office (technically HQ PLT, DCo, 123d MSB, 1AD). 1/1 Cav would bring NVGs in for repair all the time. I still have a lot of love for 1/1 CAV and 1AD.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

With the BRAC and all, 123d MSB doesn't exist anymore. I actually got sent out of that unit several months before it closed its doors for good.

[AA]

I think 1/1 Cav got disbanded shortly after we got back from Iraq in 2004. 1AD is moving back to Kansas too soon. Shitty, Germany was a blast!

[The Art-P.O.G.]

1/1 Cav was still around in '06/'07. Along with my battalion and 1/94 FA, they were left out of the deployment rotation at that point.

Germany was pretty cool for awhile though, I agree.

[KenK]

"We learned that the top general in Afghanistan surrounds himself with idiots."

Why am I not surprised? He voted for Barry HO and banned FOX News - he was/is an idiot, so why wouldn't he be surrounded by same.

[hmm Reloaded]

Last I checked RAWR TESTOSTERONE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS GRRRAAAHHH REMEMBER THE ALAMO YEAH WAR!!!!

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Actually, hmm has a point although you would expect staff officers for a general to show more decorum.

[TallDave]

I think there was a unappreciated level of danger on their part. I don't think they quite understood this was Rolling Stone not Stars And Stripes. RS must have known this would create a shitstorm, even if the aides didn't.

Still dumb of them to talk, of course. I wonder if they came from special ops? Those guys are a little looser sometimes.

[hmm]

His staff has been talked about in the press more than once. They are all type A SF and top of their game in what they do. Go ahead and say what they did was stupid. It was, but they are not idiots. You don't fly jets and be an idiot, you don't make it to staff officer for someone like McChrystal and be an idiot. Skippy here wants to toss out insults and I'm betting he couldn't get a high enough AFQT to wash their dishes. If he had done his home work he would know who the staff was.

The enlisted bitch about officers no matter what. It's like the fucking sun coming up tomorrow.

[tarran]

It was, but they are not idiots. You don't fly jets and be an idiot, you don't make it to staff officer for someone like McChrystal and be an idiot.

I don't know what military you served in, but in the u.S. military, half the flag officers I interacted with were idiots. A quarter were so worthless that if they were caught outside in a rainstorm without their covers they'd probably drown.

It's possible that he had a bright staff that didn't know how to keep their mouths shut in the presence of a reporter. It's possible that these geniuses thought that the reporter would be impressed by their manliness in subduing a land that is known as the graveyard of empires.

Or it's possible that they were a bunch of fucking morons who got where they are by punching tickets and saying the things that stroked the boss' ego.

[peachy]

Bullshit. Staff officers need something between their ears besides bone and testosterone - especially if they're conducting counter-insurgency operations. (And frankly, even grunts these days need functioning brains. This isn't the fourteenth century, when brainless aggression and machismo, plus massive muscles, were all that was really necessary.)

[Toolbag]

But aggression and muscles sure do help.

[Toolbag]

But aggression and muscles sure do help.

[Toolbag]

But aggression and muscles sure do help.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Was that a triple-tap or a double-tap and a negligent discharge?

[Toolbag]

A little of both. Internet in Asscrackistan can be a bit spotty.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Ah. Be safe.

[Warty]

I was never in, but I've always heard it's a truism that staff officers are, to a man, all fucking retards.

[John Thacker]

The flag officers I've met have all been extremely intelligent. Some of them are total bastards and most of them are extremely arrogant, but they're not retards.

[Warty]

Well, is there a more dangerous type of retardation than high intelligence with arrogance?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I don't know, man. It seems like they were smart enough to dislike Biden.

[tarran]

That wasn't my experience. About half the 15 or so flag officer I met during my stint in the Navy were morons.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I don't believe it. In what way were they morons?

[tarran]

Just general stupidity; the little petty outbursts or comments can tell one alot;

I saw some that were fucking stupid managers. The worst was the 2 star admiral who came aboard for an exercise and within 2 hours of coming on board had assaulted a petty officer first class for not bowing and scraping when the admiral tried to jog through the LPO's divisional muster while wearing PT gear. That was a fun wake up call two hours before I was supposed to go on watch. 🙁

Some were clueless about the equipment. They were typical of the perfumed princes that Hackworth used to complain about.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Yeah, but the SEALs and the guys who actually do stuff are a lot smarter, I'm certain. GEN McChrystal came out of the Special Operations community, and while it's possible none of his aides did (I really have no idea), I'm assuming they also did, and those types tend to be pretty sharp.

Yeah, there definitely are petty, small-minded bureaucrats with some rank, but none of them should get anywhere near the staff at a theater command.

[hmm]

Anything like making the words a lot one word. =)

There's all kinds. The bottom line is if it was easy and didn't require some degree of intellect everyone would be flying jets and and running counter insurgent operations or covert operations.

The fact of the matter there aren't and that is what comprised the majority of his staff. I stand by the assertion that initial comment about them being idiots was misinformed and indicates either a lack of doing the due diligence on his staff or was just a snide quip. Either way, it was off base in per all other information I've seen.

[Nooge]

For an example of a general officer who was (and is) a moron, click here (SFW).

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Ah. So they do slip through the cracks every now and then. But I guarantee you that all the senior NCOs and officers that worked with this guy knew he was an idiot.

[Monte.Crisco]

No shit, I feel you In Time... I am currently an NCO on the ground in Afpak and those guys are fucking idiot entilement-minded officers mouthing off in front of someone they shouldn't have. Probably got a lot of mileage out of that "Yeah, Rolling Stone is doing a cover story on us" line to all their wives and girlfriends or both. Fuck them and fuck McChrystal and his "Hugs not Drugs" strategy. Sitting around and appreciating the so-called "culture" here AINT going to win the war - killing the people who need to be killed at the lower levels - and we know who they are- will. And if ANY of his ass-kissing staff had ever spent a day as enlisted they would have known to keep that locker-room bantering to themselves.
And as an addendum, a revised policy towards their opium crop- that is, getting us pharma companies on board to buy it in light of the fact that we have a global shortage of painkilles and simultaneously depriving the TB of the revenue - would help is win as well. That is, if "win" isn't too POLITICALLY INCORRECT a term. And BTW, McC and his DOUCHEBAG SGM Michael Hall took our Burger Kings and Pizza Huts away from us and their aint a grunt out here that would commend them for that. Fuck McChrystal.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I admit that taking Burger King and Pizza Hut away is fucked up. And I would like to see a shift in our policy toward opium farming in the region (at least one such as you describe).

[hmm]

Why is it fucked up? That isn't just a troll. I'm interested in a serious answer.

I agree with the opium policy being a farce and a mistake.

[Monty.Crisco]

It's fucked up b/c a lot of ground pounders come back from outside the wire and want some sort of comfort food to just kick back, relax and destress. In a way, it is like taking leave via food. Take that away - and it is not a big thing, mind you - from hardworking soldiers risking their lives everyday or so and they may just wonder what their command is trying to do to morale. Especially when McChrystal - aristocratic officer that he is - has his own private dining hall at ISAF HQ.

[wylie]

Last I checked unless you have managed to pass a US military flight school as a fighter pilot, US SF training, or SAS training you probably don't have the proven standing

Yeah, all of that is more Real than playin StarCraft. TAKE THEM SERIOUS, OR THEYLL KILL YOUR ASS. THEY HAVE THE MUNITIONS. AND DONT YOU DARE THINK ABOUT CUTTING THEIR PENSIONS OR HEALTHSKRIMPS, YOU PEASEANT FUCKWADS!

"omgz, sry massa, what you want me to radar-pu> want me to dance for ya tioo massa? aye can doo both, yessa!"

[hmm]

I'm not the one calling people idiots. You can anecdotally justify the comment all day and interject what ever silly strawman you want into the argument. The fact is no matter how much you dislike or disagree they them all indications point to them not being idiots. To call them such is wrong and shows a lack of doing ones homework or the typical punditry I would expect from Fox or MSNBC.

[hmm]

disagree with them...

dear god dyslexia and retardation are a powerful combination

[Tom V.]

Is anyone paying attention? Just because it's not PC to call someone effing ghey, doesn't mean that this aide is irking the people whose mineral wealth oops "hearts and minds" we're trying to win. Last time I heard, the tribal/Islamic view on effete folks was kind of negative.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Like, for instance, the McChrystal aide who described a meeting with a French minister as "fucking gay." Does this sound like the best team to head a war effort where the U.S. needs to win the hearts and minds of the people in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

Certainly not the people in Frogistan, that's for sure.

I think what more points to Obama's choice of McChrystal as being a bad one is that the general talked to Rolling Stone at all. (This is all assuming that McChrystal didn't want out this hopeless assignment without having to admit it's because it's a hopeless assignment.)

[swillfredo pareto]

This is all assuming that McChrystal didn't want out this hopeless assignment without having to admit it's because it's a hopeless assignment.

If the article is to be believed McChrystal has had a tent permanently pitched in his chocolate chips since he got the gig. He got exactly what he wanted; I do not see any reason why he would want out.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

"Chocolate chips"? Old school!

[Fist of Etiquette]

If the article is to be believed McChrystal has had a tent permanently pitched in his chocolate chips since he got the gig.

If erection lasts more than one year, consult your Rolling Stone embed.

[hmm]

Maybe he wants out because he sees it as a lost cause and he's not interested in riding the brown swirl wagon down the hole.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I honestly don't think there's any quit in GEN McChrystal (resignation aside), but I could be wrong.

[Gray Ghost]

Don't know him, but that's my thought too. 4-star generals and their staffs don't unintentionally repeatedly run their mouths like this in front of a reporter. He wanted out from his own strategy and was tired of butting heads with the U.S. Ambassador, so he chose this method.

What I think is really interesting is Obama choosing Petraeus for the job. If you buy the hypothesis that the situation in Afg is irretrievable, then why not stick it with your most popular general, the one who might be a pain in your party's ass in 2016 or 2012?

[?]

French ministers aren't fucking-gay. They're the other kind.

[John Thacker]

Like, for instance, the McChrystal aide who described a meeting with a French minister as "fucking gay." Does this sound like the best team to head a war effort where the U.S. needs to win the hearts and minds of the people in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

Yeah, that would be like trying to cultivate sources among the Right while calling them "ratfuckers" in private.

[Michael S. Langston]

Ironic almos that priavte statements about peoples' deaths is defended while this drive-by comment is reason to call incompetence.....

[Jordan Elliot]

I have nothing of value to add to this thread.

I am simply here to say that I think it's great Reason is giving the helping hand of employment to Rico Suave.

[Atanarjuat]

+1

[TallDave]

The biggest problem seems to be disconnect between mil and civ leadership. The cart doesn't go anywhere good with the the oxen pulling in different directions.

Petraeus' ROE review is a good first step, but he needs to find a way to get Obama behind him without a knife in his hand.

In the end though, we can't get out in anything less than ten years. A-stan isn't Iraq, which had some semblance of industry and a middle class. Our local helpers are so inept they make the ISF look like U.S. Marines.

[Franklin Harris]

When we "lose Afghanistan," I'll be sure to blame that bastard Al Capone for not leaving anything in his "vault."

[Warren]

Oh thank God we have the clam, reassuring and highly creditable Geralpo Rivera to see us through this long national nightmare.

If it weren't for his keen insights and selfless dedication to patriotism this country would already have fallen to the terrorists.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

Some folks on the right, and some of Obama's crowd too, are probably secretly delighted by this whole thing. They can crank up the good ol' "stabbed in the back" meme if they can't trick enough people into believing that "we" "won" the war.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I have nothing worthwhile to add to this thread either, I just think it's funny that Jon Stewart called Rolling Stone "filthy hippies" because I independently arrived at the exact same conclusion.

[PantsFan]

this is new information?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

No, not at all. Just idly musing.

[Astrid]

"I suspect Rivera is probably just jealous that someone went out and did real reporting for a change."

Geraldo Rivera did some real war zone reporting a while back, and I seem to remember it having "strategic implications" as well.

[joshua corning]

There seems to be a broad consensus amongst pundits on the left and right that President Obama was justified in firing Gen. Stanley McChrystal

I don't know what you mean by justified but the president should have the power to fire a commanding general if he does not like his taste in music.

In fact i have been playing with the idea that the president should have the power to fire any unelected official working for federal government simply for the hell of it.

[Barack Obama]

joshua, how about dropping by for a beer with me this weekend?

[joshua corning]

Yeah like it is even remotely possible, even given the power, that you would fire a bureaucrat.

[TallDave]

I think it should actually be easier for a government worker to be fired than to keep their job.

You know, like in the private sector.

[Tman]

If anyone had been reading Michael Yon over the last year, they would know that McChrystal wasn't going to last. Yon had made it crystal clear that McChrystal was losing the war and failing to follow the Petraeus game plan for counter-insurgency ops.

The Rolling Stone piece may have been the final straw, but the irony here is that Obama hand picked McChrystal and he's turned out to be a bad choice. Now Obama has to rely on Petreaus to bail him out, the same guy that Obama grilled in the senate during the Iraqi surge.

I think Petraeus can do it, but I'm not convinced that Obama actually wants to do anything more than leave Afghanistan whether we win or lose. He sure as shit doesn't want us to be there.

[Les]

I think Petraeus can do it, but I'm not convinced that Obama actually wants to do anything more than leave Afghanistan whether we win or lose. He sure as shit doesn't want us to be there.

The parents of the children we've been blowing to pieces and burning alive have the impression Obama wants to be there.

We cannot "win" in Afghanistan because no one ever has. The only losers are the ones dying for nothing and their families.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Somebody please think of the children!*

*Yes, I realize the situation is tragic but I just couldn't let this one go.

[Les]

Well, when they say it here, it's absurd, but when speaking of Afghanistan, there are actual children to think of.

http://www.rawa.org/temp/runew.....p;mggal=6#

There's a bit of a difference between "please protect my children for me!" and "please don't blow the fuck out of my children!"

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Well, when they say it here, it's absurd, but when speaking of Afghanistan, there are actual children to think of.

What?

[TallDave]

Les, let me ask you a question.

Let's say we packed up tomorrow and came home. What do you suppose would happen in Afghanistan? They would not hold peace protests when Al Qaeda starting sending their suicide attackers here again.

We can fight them there or we can accept they're going to attack us here. Maybe you don't see a moral difference between deliberate murder committed maliciously and accidental murder committed in self-defense, but most of us do.

[Phil Smith]

Les thinks that We cannot "win" in Afghanistan because no one ever has is an argument.

[Citizen]

I'm pretty sure we haven't been blowing our children to pieces and setting them on fire. In fact, I'm fairly certain that someone else has been doing that.

On the flip side, I'm also sure that we've been inflicting our fair share of casualties to the Taliban (and others). But you're right, Afghanistan is a tough nut to crack, and eliminating a haven for terrorists that would actively pursue our destruction is a cause worth fighting for. It's not like we just woke up one day and said "Gee, no one has every really successfully conquered Afghanistan, let's give it a whirl!"

We actually entered this conflict with a legitimate reason.

[skr]

It's the war we should have been figting in the first place. Now it's been so long here are people entering college that barely remember 9/11 let alone think that Afghanistan is warranted.

[Les]

Yep, you can argue that after 9/11, we should have focused on finding Bin Laden in Afghanistan. But we fucked up, let him go, and now, not only are young Americans being killed for that fuck up, along with lots of Afghanistan civilians who never volunteered to fight in a war to "make the U.S. safe."

[TallDave]

I don't think anyone in the Twin Towers volunteered to fight in Bin Laden's war, either.

Not that finding him was some magical panacea. We'd be fighting there regardless.

[RyanXXX]

"pursue our destruction"?

Are the Taliban gearing up to invade Florida?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

No, but they were sheltering Al-Qaeda. Remember that? It has been awhile.

[RyanXXX]

Yes, it has. Too long, in fact. I'm ready to put 9/11 behind us and let bygones be bygones at this point, rather than continue an unwinnable, unconstitutional, nation-building exercise in destructive madness.

In November of 2001, did anyone really think we'd still be fucking around in this goat-fucking country in 2010?

[TallDave]

Yes, quite a few of us did. You can't stand up a country in the middle of poppy fields and still have a War On Drugs. No one's quite figures that out yet.

I mean, really. At least in Iraq we didn't make oil illegal.

And it's a safe bet we'll still be fucking around there in 2020 too. We're not going to let them re-establish open terrorist training camps.

[Les]

You may be "pretty sure," but you're sadly mistaken.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06.....trike.html

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpoi.....f_peop.php

http://origin.rferl.org/content/article/1077301.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8515141.stm

That's one google search, so, yeah, we're, as in we are killing lots of civilians.

We actually entered this conflict with a legitimate reason.

It's SO legitimate, we're willing to kill them for it! And if the government told you that winning the war is so important that YOUR family members might need to die for it?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Americans and other coalition nations do have family members dying for it, duh. Yes, our children are not in a combat zone, though.

[Les]

Americans and other coalition nations do NOT have family members who never signed up for the military dying for it, duh.

And the single most powerful reason that we are still dealing with Afghanistan with bombs is precisely because the children who are dying there are not American.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

And the single most powerful reason that we are still dealing with Afghanistan with bombs is precisely because the children who are dying there are not American.

???? Why precisely do you think air support is ever used?

[Les]

Air support is perfectly reasonable on battlefields, and away from civilian populations. That's not how we've been using air support. And in many cases it's not even "support." It's just an "air attack."

And lots of times there aren't even any human beings in the cockpits! We insulate our voluntary soldiers from the dangers we casually expect the civilians to accept.

[TallDave]

I'm pretty sure those civilians in the Twin Towers experienced some "risk."

[Double edged sword]

Collateral damage in the attack upon the NY Port Authority. The NYPA is a legitimate target in time of war isn't it? The civilians knew they were sheltering in a building that housed a quasi military force.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

I'm not going to try to argue the legitimacy of the Afghanistan invasion/war/occupation/rebuild.

However, the goal of denying havens to terrorists is impossible to fully achieve. Humans are, if nothing else, cunning like the weasel, and will always adapt tactics and behavior to overcome obstacles.

Predicating America's safety (*my* safety) on the idea that terrorists will someday be denied all opportunities to organize and train is chilling in its implications. We simply cannot cow and subjugate everyone in the world anymore than we can usher all nations into a glorious future of democracy.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

True, true.

[joshua corning]

We cannot "win" in Afghanistan because no one ever has.

Alexander, Khan and Islam did

[Les]

Who is this "Islam" person? And what fine role models you've presented as "winners!" Tell me, what did they "win?" What did the Afghani people "win?"

Oh, don't tell me, the person in the photo is one of the winners! Cool!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/world/asia/15farah.html

[swillfredo pareto]

Yeah but look at that plate of hospital food! Before the United States invaded that was more than she saw in a year.

[joshua corning]

Who is this "Islam" person? And what fine role models you've presented as "winners!"

Alexander got a route and Afghanistan got trade. Khan ditto.

As for Islam at the time Islam was probably the best thing going in terms of civilization. I for one would rather be a Muslim then a Christian back then. At least i could take a bath and not be burned as a warlock.

[joshua corning]

Actually thinking about it lets say you lived in Afghanistan and some dude comae to your village and told you to surrender or the army that is half a day behind him will come and kill every living thing within 4 miles of your village. At face value that looks terrible but lets look at the alternatives.

If say Khan never came your village was under constant threat from Neighbors who would kill everyone in your village at anytime. If khan took over no one would die he would take some of your young women and young men some cattle and crops but you would not have to worry about your neighbors anymore because now you were part of an empire with a huge army to defend you. Also the crops and cattle and young men would have been lost with time anyway defending your village from your neighbors. This was probably the same with Alexander.

Not really that bum deal.

Islam created a system of morality and justice that also provided similar protections.

[joshua corning]

Islam created a system of morality and justice that also provided similar protections.

I should also point out that the US is not offering a deal nearly as good as Alexander or Khan or Islam offered.

In fact they still have Islam to this day for that vary reason. They have Law and order and protection (at least somewhat) from their neighbors. What the fuck is the US offering? modernity?

I know i like modernity but i was raised in it. I am not so sure it looks so great from the outside...especially considering the cost that would be needed in a place like Afghanistan to achieve it.

[skr]

Didn't he surround himself with SF guys? If so, they are most likely not idiots. They may not give a flying fuck about poltics or propriety but they aren't stupid. I have known a couple of SF guys and they are very intelligent and creative people. It's actually quite scary being charmed by this really nice guy that you know is a freakin' killing machine.

[skr]

Oh, and those are exactly the kind of people I want to prosecute a war.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Yeah, you've not only got to be tough, you have to be really smart to make it through SF training. There was a Discovery Channel show about that.

Even in the "standard" Army, during training they face groups with these 'obstacle puzzles' involving planks, barrels and other objects. I could seldom figure them out. There's a lot of 'spatial' thinking involved, and that's not even getting into practical matters like tactics, foreign language and military adaptivity.

[AA]

Boot Camp was a blast, wasn't it, ART?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Uh, yeah. It was cool for awhile but by about Week 7 or Week 8 I just wanted it to be over.

[Monte.Crisco]

Not appreciating the politics or propriety in that situation is tantamount to being a fucking idiot. And that ia why all of them are out of a job now.

[Ron L]

I was sure there's a reason I don't watch FOX news (or any other TV news for that matter). Looks like Rivera has just given me a good one. Blaming the reporter is a lesson right out of Nixon's dreams.
But McChrystal voted for the guy and he hired McChrystal. They deserve each other; no heroes here. Neither one shows sense enough to do what they even claim to do, regardless of whether they should to that.

[Jo Denny]

Wow, aint that the truth. Nice!

Lou
http://www.web-anonymity.mx.tc

[David Blomstrom]

Leave it to Whoraldo to blame a magazine like Rolling Stone for the sins of George W. Bush, Obama and their cronies. They don't call'em media whores for nothing.

[Alex Johnson]

Rivera is a looser because he talks before he thinks. Blaming anything on an investigative journalist is just BS. I wish that there were more guys with the guts of this one who wrote this article.

[David Blomstrom]

P.S. Please join my Facebook group "I do NOT support the troops." This war itself is as retarded as Obama, McChrystal and Whoraldo.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

9/11 NEVER FORGET (although this war should have been over a long time ago).

[David Blomstrom]

Never forget: Most of the 9/11 terrorists were from SAUDI ARABIA, not Iraq or Afghanistan. Never forget the Republicans' role in the 9/11 "terrorist" attacks.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I smell a truther*. You're right, most of the terrorists were from Saudi Arabi, and I've seen many articles, including some on this site, call out the Saudi enabling of the Wahhabists.

*In my book, this is not a good thing.

[Warty]

*In my book, this is not a good thing.

Art, you are absurdly tolerant, even to people as loathsome as truthers.

"In my opinion, though I freely concede that I may be incorrect, espousing conspiracy theories about the events of September 11, 2001 reflects poorly on one's judgement."

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Ha ha, I guess that's true about my tolerance. It took awhile before I was even sick of LoneWacko.

[tarran]

Two points: the attacks of 9/11 were a conspiracy; the 19 hijackers didn't spontaneously decide to act once in the air, obviously they conspired beforehand. 😉

I support the 'compromise' theory myself.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Brilliant cartoon.

[Citizen]

I think it may be important to consider that the government of Afghanistan was (at the time) officially harboring and providing resources to international terrorists.

It doesn't really matter that they came from Saudi Arabia; they were training in Afghanistan.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

And what Citizen (Citizen Nothing?) said.

[Les]

Well, maybe this girl and her family will learn now not to tolerate totalitarian governments that harbor terrorists!

http://www.rawa.org/temp/runew.....p;mggal=6#

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I'm trying to figure out what your point is. I really am.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I'm just saying the horrors of war are well-documented.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

If your point is that war itself is deontologically unsound, I agree with you.

[Les]

My point is that you talk about "the horrors of war" like it's a natural disaster or cancer, which we have little to no control over.

My point is that the the U.S. position on Afghanistan is: It is SO vitally important for us to destroy the Taliban that we are willing to send our young soldiers there to die AND to kill your civilians in order to achieve our goals.

If the U.S. proposed a solution to a problem which involved the regular and unpredictable and avoidable violent deaths of scores and hundreds of U.S. civilians, we would say, "find another solution."

But, again, it's not U.S. civilians who are being killed.

[TallDave]

But, again, it's not U.S. civilians who are being killed.

9/11. Remember? The reason we're there?

And really, come on. Would it matter if Al Qaeda was estbalished in, say, Vermont? We'd still be bombing them, nearby Americans or not.

[Les]

I do appreciate it your patience with my passion. And I'm not saying we shouldn't be in Afghanistan or that we shouldn't be hunting Al Qaeda. I'm only saying we're doing it as if the lives of our voluntary military men are more valuable than the lives of innocent Afghani children.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Interesting comments. I might have to think awhile before I can say anything else. But I will say that the cowardly way that the Taliban often fights (i.e. essentially using civilians as shields) does nobody any favors.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Maybe 'cowardly' is the wrong word. 'Savvy' and 'shitty' seem to do the job.

[AA]

I love your tolerance too Art. But I like cowardly just fine.

[Les]

"Cowardly" is a good word. I hate those scumbags with a deep passion. But if a murdering scumbag was holding a neighborhood hostage in America, we would look at a variety of options before sending in the flying robots to blow up the house we hope he's in.

I should note that, despite my disgust with the death we're bringing for little to no good practical returns, I'm aware of and greatly appreciate the improvements the military has made over the decades in regards to civilian casualties. And I don't blame the military for the deaths nearly as much as I blame the civilian leadership for creating the situation.

[Monty Crisco]

No, "cowardly" is fine. Buncha fucking smelly fucks who are so proud of fighting for Allah that they always cover their faces. Cowardly fucks.

[Toolbag]

Don't forget they like to Hang seven-yearl-olds

[Double edged sword]

Just like American SWAT teams.

[Toolbag]

American SWAT teams accidentally shoot kids because they are juiced up meatheads. Yes they are wrong but they are not intentionally hanging children or shooting them.

[James Anderson Merritt]

I support the troops by requiring their immediate return to the US, especially the National Guard, who serve to defend the actual territory of the USA, one State at a time.

[.]

Rivera triggered an actual strategic crisis...

Um...not really.

[John]

I just want it known that I am right now the comment of the day on instapundit. "A perfect storm of shallow stupidity". That really makes me smile.

[Astrid]

And also an honorable mention for the peasants comment. Did you bribe Glen Reynolds?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Link or it didn't happen.

[swillfredo pareto]

And tits or GTFO while you are at it.

[Warty]

Nice work. I thought I was on cloud 9 the time Tim wrote a blog post about one of my metal links, but your achievement seems more satisfying.

[Citizen]

We learned that the top general in Afghanistan surrounds himself with idiots.

I'm going to assume, Mr. Soave, that you have not been in the military and may not be familiar with what constitutes military culture and behavior. I will also assume that you know better than to judge a person's entire career based on a fluff piece from a music magazine.

[tom]

I love the irony that a smelly hippy obama-tard reporter from Rolling Stone who hates the war got an obama-tard General who was losing a war Obama doesn't want to fight anyway, fired, and in the process got the Obama to actually put in someone who might accidently win despite Holebroke-back and Eikendingleberry's best attempts to screw the pooch.

What perfection is Obama's "governance" style. For generations we will remember this goof for screwing up everything he declared he wanted to fix and accidently helping things we all suspect he secretly loathes (military and NASA being two of them)

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Man, you wanted that reporter to "overhear" your comments didn't you, you wily aide, you.

[The Dude]

McChrystal either intentionally had that culture in his staff or he passively allowed it to be fostered. Additionally, it sounds to me like the staff didn't know enough about politics, since they're SpecOps types, to tell the reporter when something is "on background" or off the record. These guys never spend a tour or two in Washington like everyone else. That's obviously a good thing from the perspective of actually fighting a war, but it is a really bad thing when it comes to media savvy. And one of the key components of a successful counterinsurgency strategy is winning the media game (Petraeus is brilliant here). So McChrystal failed here on multiple fronts, but I don't think you can really blame a Special Operator for that.

Furthermore, the comments by "hmm" are astute here. These guys are KILLERS, not politicians. What do you expect? Petraeus was an aide to a General more than once, and he has both West Point (graduated and taught there) & Princeton (PhD in International Relations) credentials. McChrystal has spent nearly his entire career in the Special Operations career field, although he did have some time in academia. His staff is obviously along the same lines. Plus, as hmm said, the enlisted will bitch about the officers no matter what. By the same token, the officers will bitch about their civilian leadership.

Regardless of this pointless pontificating, I hope Petraeus can right the ship. If anybody can, it is him. And if he can't, God help us.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I agree with this post.

[Monte.Crisco]

"Plus, as hmm said, the enlisted will bitch about the officers no matter what. By the same token, the officers will bitch about their civilian leadership."

I DO NOT agree with this post. I don't bitch about officers that know what the fuck they are doing. Look, you don't just hold SF guys - who I work with every day - to the standard of "Can he kill people or not?" I am a Chinese linguist (among other jobs) and I am here in Afghanistan and do I just get held to the standard of "Well, how's his Mandarin?" No, soldiers have to have multiple skill sets and have to learn HELLA quick - not just be proficient in their MOS. And I sure as hell don't hold any fucking officer - no matter how much of a bootlicking assbag - to any standard that I myself am not going to live up to. And let me tell you, I would not have felt it incumbent upon me to whip my dick out an measure in front of a GODDAMN MSM LIBTARD REPORTER! They expect E-1s to not shoot their mouths off to the media, they sure as hell can expect the goddamn commanding general's aides not to.

[Toolbag]

I don't. "KILLERS" is bandied about a bit much or my taste. SF guys were first implemented as a training force. They would go in an be embedded with locals and teach them how to fight. That being said these guys have to be very aware of the political current in their target country to be effective. Infantry, Cav Scouts, and Apache pilots are KILLERS. That is their job and that is what they are best at. So comments like the aides for McChrystal are trained and expected to know better. No excuse for being a retard and shootin your mouth outside the clearing barrel

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Well, Monte.Cristo and Toolbag, you raise valid points.

[The Dude]

Monte.Cristo does have a point that every military member is held to a certain standard. And yes, you do have to have skills outside your career field. People should know better, but they don't. And there are things about talking to reporters you don't just know by default. When someone is with you for that long, you have established rules on things like "on background" and "off the record". These are things these guys may not know since they've been insulated in the Special Ops world for (nearly) their whole careers.

But Monte.Cristo, you are flat out wrong to suggest that officers aren't or shouldn't be held to a higher standard. Officers can give orders that have the force of LAW. That special privilege comes with immense amounts of responsibility and thus a higher standard. Even the oath of office is different for officers and enlisted.

Things aren't always done the right way and plenty of officers are idiots, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a critical difference between officer and enlisted.

[Toolbag]

So are we talking about commisioned officers only? What about Non Commissioned Officers (NCO)? There orders are law as well. Shouldn't they get the same privileges? NCO's see things from the bottom up and have hell of a lot more technical expertise and experience. So spare me this crap about officers whose farts don't stink. It is a an outdated caste system from the days when most can't read. Guess what I can read and I read a hell of a lot better and have more comprehension then most officers.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Whoa, whoa. Where's the love for the Warrant Officers?

[Monte.Crisco]

Officers are not held to a higher standard in the military except in very specific cases of the UCMJ (slandering a congressman is one, I believe). In the real military, everyone is held to the same standard, and quite often officers don't even live up to that because they have never been enlisted or NCOs. They have gone to college, and and as Matt Foley might say - LA DI FRICKIN' DA! I am not "flat out wrong" to say Officers shouldn't be held to a higher standard - I am living in the real world, active Army. I don't expect an officer to do anything that I won't do and I sure as hell expect him to do ANYTHING he asks me to do - otherwise he has no moral authority, and quite often - IN THE REAL ARMY - that has every bit the weight that legal and command authority carries. It is the fucking idiot Officers ( I am really thinking of O-6) that think that because they have an undergrad degree - which I have too - and a masters from online u. that they can just ignore what an E-5 who is a technical expert and well-experienced pro in his respective field tells them just because it doesn't fit their preconceived notion or because they don't like how he looks or because he doesn't have enough rank. Those officers are the bane of our existence, but their aint no law against stupid. Except here a lack of self-awareness might get you or your men killed. But that standard I hold them to is no different than the one I hold myself to.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Damn, still no love for the Warrants.

[Toolbag]

Warrant officers are the shit. They are what every technically minded NCO should aspire to be. If I were to stay in that is the route I would take. Technical efforts. One Warrant I worked with was fond of saying, " Arguing with a Warrant is like arguing with a hog, Everyone gets dirty but the hog loves it". They are advisers to the commander and if their advice is "Fuck off" then that is their advice.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I am, or at least I was a technically-minded NCO. I would have loved to become a warrant, but I didn't feel like staying on active duty at that time. Ah, well, choices.

[AA]

+10 for bringing Warrant Officers some love!

[Monte.Crisco]

NCOs and enlisted got NOTHING but love for the warrants because they are the anti-officers - cool and competent as the day is long. But you have to be enlisted to be one - where do you think I am headed?

[The Dude]

Toolbag/Monte.Cristo, nowhere did I say officer shit doesn't stink. In fact I said, exactly, "things aren't always done the right way and plenty of officers are idiots". I'm an officer. And I'm an idiot. And a college degree (or Master's) means jack shit. I know this firsthand. Most enlisted men and women have a ton more experience, savvy and capability than I do now (particularly good NCO and young SNCOs). So I understand where you are coming from, gentlemen (or ladies).

Is the Officer/Enlisted separation an outdated caste system? It may very well be (I'd say yes without having thought too deeply on it). But I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the way things are, such as under the UCMJ, as Monte.Cristo mentioned, but missed "Conduct Unbecoming an Officer" and the fact that the UCMJ makes Fraternization a legal offense. And there are other standards that anyone in the military knows damn well but are being conveniently ignored here. You know, the unwritten BS which again, you and I both probably disagree with (from dress code to how to act in public). I know it is all probably stupid but that doesn't mean it isn't true that Officers and Enlisted are different and that Officers should be held to a higher standard.

But the discussion was about General McChrystal's missteps. I believe these things matter in this context.

[The Angry Optimist]

It is the fucking idiot Officers ( I am really thinking of O-6) that think that because they have an undergrad degree - which I have too - and a masters from online u. that they can just ignore what an E-5 who is a technical expert and well-experienced pro in his respective field tells them just because it doesn't fit their preconceived notion or because they don't like how he looks or because he doesn't have enough rank.

Oh god, give it a rest. Those of us who are smart, talented officers are really, really tired of a chip-on-his-shoulder newly-minted sergeant who thinks everybody above him is an idiot and everyone below him is his slave. You've been in the Army, what, maybe three whole years?

Choke and die.

[Monty Crisco]

Wow, what a rarity - an officer who thinks he smart and talented (and - no doubt - modest)! Well, I will give you this, Sir Tard, you probably have a lot to be modest about. You probably don't listen to your NCOs which is A) the reason your men hate you and B) why you are incompetent at your job. OF course, it never occurred to you that I might not be a "newly minted" sergeant or that I have been in the Army longer than 3 years because that doesn't fit your preconceived notion that all enlisted should worship at your inept feet. Go fuck yourself, sir (or should I say, sire?), and read my previous post that you just fit to a T. "T" also stands for TARD....

[Monty Crisco]

And btw the person who thinks everybody above him is an idiot and everyone below him is his slave is usually described as an Officer. NCOs shut the fuck up unless they know what they are talking about, not a trait I have seen from those oh-so-smart-and-talented members of the Officer Corps, who tend to resemble Barack Obama : "I'll just act serious and throw out some bullshit and because I outrank them they have to kiss my ass.."

[Toolbag]

It is that exact mentality that is causing the military to suffer from breain drain. Those who are competent and technically proficient are getting out. Why work under someone who will never have any respect for you no matter how good you are. If you won't lick their ass they won't give you the time of day. Get out get payed about three times as much doing the same thing and receive more respect. I know what you are thinking, "Dirty Contractor" while that is an option it isn't the only one. There are government positions with better pay and more respect than the military. I ask the officers this, What would you do if the enlisted stopped pushing the buttons, fixing the equipment, or pulling the triggers? Could you do their job? Would you even know where to begin? I am not advocating some type of strike on the part of the enlisted. I am just asking people to look at the situation critically and understand the importance enlisted have as the foundation of the military. I believe the Officer Corps could be reduced by 50% and we would have a much more effiient Armed Forces.

[Toolbag]

In case there is confusion my above post was in repsonsee to The Angry Optimist

[The Angry Optimist]

*yawn* - like it was said above, officer-hate is as old as the hills.

[Toolbag]

And the Officer Corp is old as the hills and obsolete. I don't hate officers. I just see no use for them. I have served under very few who I truly respect. The ones I do trusted me and my peers. There wasn't this division between officers and enlisted. So Angry Optimist if you want to remain an elitist and continue to fail then keep up the disdain for enlisted. Why do you think there is always an NCO paired with an officer from the time they are a PLT LDR to the time they are a BDE CMDR? It is so hey can learn and benefit from that NCOs expertise and experience.

[Monty.Crisco]

Typical officer - nothing of substance to respond with so he yawns and takes a nap. We'll wake you when the war's over sir!

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I have no idea what happened here, but I've had problems with very few officers during my time in. I'll also say I think NCOs get plenty of respect as the Backbone of the Army.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Oh, and even though I only know TAO from this forum, your characterization of him sounds awfully inaccurate to me.

[RATFUCKER]

Sounded dead-on to me

[The Art-P.O.G.]

What other names might I know you by, Ratfucker?

[bruno]

The reporter was there for what, 1-2 months? Way too easy to pick and choose comments.

[Jo Denny]

Wow dude that is like major cool man. I mean seriously.

Lou
http://www.web-anonymity.mx.tc

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I knew Major Cool (he was the BDE S-4 OIC at my last unit). I didn't see anybody or anything like MAJ Cool in this article.

[BeesInTheBrain]

Well personally I find it interesting that someone who is charge of America's longest war believes that his first one-on-one meeting with the sitting president "was a 10-minute photo op". It quite frankly shows a person who isn't quite up to being commander in chief.

If McChrystal was correct and the aides statement that "Obama clearly didn't know anything about him, who he was. Here's the guy who's going to run his fucking war, but he didn't seem very engaged.", was true then "pretty disappointed" is probably the least of the things that can be said. However I think Obama has pretty much shown that beyond giving speeches and talking about things in the abstract he is incompetent and this is nothing more than another example.

[James Anderson Merritt]

If Monty Python's Flying Circus had been an American comedy show (ala Laugh-In), Geraldo Riveva's would have been the head with the dancing teeth, as animated by Terry Gilliam (who would have been a goateed brit in the alternate universe). Just sayin'.

[wylie]

Burn everything. No survivors, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die. You too Maxwardchonyriss, Die.

[wylie]

Everywhere, Everytime, Endless Fire. Die mutha fucka die, mutha fucka die.

[Kolohe]

Like, for instance, the McChrystal aide who described a meeting with a French minister as "fucking gay." Does this sound like the best team to head a war effort where the U.S. needs to win the hearts and minds of the people in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

It's been said upthread, but 'fuckin gay' in this case means 'this is stupid and a waste of time and we shouldn't be doing it' - it's coarse language said among co-workers - in this context not a personal insult to anyone or any group in particular.

Is Soave another intern? This blog seems to have had a run of second-raters since Mike Riggs left.

But to be fair, it's not just him. In all these types of stories, I find it rich that everyone is saying, 'They shouldn't have said that in front of a reporter! They shouldn't have even had a reporter with them!' Not that these sentiments aren't correct but that it's a bunch a fuckin' *journalists* who are basically advocating that the military should be *more* secretative, opaque, and close-hold.

[Tulpa]

It's better to have restrictions on what reporters are allowed to observe rather than having restrictions on what they are allowed to publish.

One of those IS going to happen when you're dealing with military matters.

[Toolbag]

I think we should let journalists in on every OP. They should be at the planning stages. Lets let them look at the INTEL and see how that is done. Then they can use their best judgement about what to publish. I expect someone with a Mustachio like Geraldo's will have exemplary judgement. The worst they would do is publish all our secrets straightaway to Al Jazeera. Why classify anything. Lets just tell the whole world everything we are doing just so they can feel safe. In fact Kolohe I want you to start. I would like your Bank account number, address, full name and Social Security Number. Why keep those secret? unless of course you have something to hide.

[Kolohe]

way to win the 100m missing the point competition and live up to your name.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Yeah, Toolbag, you completely missed the point of what Kolohe was saying...that is, unless your sarcasm is so advanced that you're actually just agreeing with him.

[Toolbag]

Eh a little of both. I have a huge problem with allowing the media to far into our operations to the point that it is a security risk. As I re-read Kolohe's post-which maybe I should do for my own every now and again- I see his point is journalists ragging on journalists for essentially being journalists. So I would change my state ment to this:
"In fact American Media I want you to start. I would like your Bank account number, address, full name and Social Security Number. Why keep those secret? unless of course you have something to hide."
Have the time I think that journalists say the things they do because they are jealous they didn't get the story. So lets congratualate the author, Michael Hastings, for having the balls to do his job and berrate the Aides involved for not knowing any better.

[MJ]

As Weigel's experience has shown, it does not pay to write/speak frankly without filters in front of a journalist.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Ooh, very nice tie-in.

[Hobie Hanson]

There's a simple rule that I learned in kindergarten: if you can't think of anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. That doesn't stop being true when you become a military general, so McChrystal got what he deserved.

Besides, it's not Obama's fault he has to fight this war. It got left for him by Chimpy Bushitler.

[Toolbag]

OMG CHIMPY and BUSHITLER. I get it. Cause Cheney's name is like Chimoy and Bush has an H on the end. That is sooooo funny. I bet they are also reponsible for global warming and the Oil Spill, They may even be responsible for earthquakea. If we are invaded by aliens I bet it is because them as well.

[Hobie Hanson]

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and... yes if I've been drinking.

[TallDave]

UPDATE: On top of being wrong, Rivera is also a hypocrite. Check out this CNN report from 2003, when Rivera triggered an actual strategic crisis by drawing a map of sensitive U.S. troop movements in Iraq and filming it

Eh, I remember that. I saw that shameful behavior live. It didn't really give anything away, it was just dumb because you never ever talk about movements. Not a "strategic crisis" though.

[Yonemoto]

It is entirely unfortunate that everyone thinks that Rivera and Stossel are the same person.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Heh heh. Who thinks that? And Stossel more closely resembles Freddie Mercury.

[Brett L]

Not me, I can always ask myself, "Would this guy let some neo-Nazi break his nose?" And I know right away the real Geraldo.

Also, did he marry into the Murdoch family or what? Why does he still have a job at any "news" station?

[christian louboutin]

Aishika Chakraborty spends Christian Louboutin Pumps in the enchanting environs of Santiniketan and says its christian louboutin remain undiminished 'Besides the winter fair and spring festival, there is nothing much to see there. Palash and simul trees have just shed their blooms, and the monsoon cloud is nowhere near the christian louboutin sale. Blazing winds will greet you at Jhapater Dhal as the terrain onwards turns parched christian shoes and arid.'

[Air Jordans online store]

I think so that our country can make big rich in Afghanistan war. do you thinks so?

[discount vibram fivefingers]

yeap, that's no adoubt that Rivera is also a hypocrite. im agreen with you.

[Henry Massingale]

Wow, if you wish to place a true blam on this issue then see a truth as it unfolds. look deeper.....
A untold truth that fits right in with your report. The Afghan People are slaves to a Drug Empire and as it would seem, information supports that because of American Companies attempt to take over this Heroin Empire is in part of why the attack on 9/11 took place. The stink of human waist in Afghan is a sur-real as the day of 9/11/.
Government Officials now look for a way to pull out of Afghan, but the Arabic Drug Empire would be kill all who stood with the USA. So will the United States Government betray the people of Afghan ?
When the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration step aside and allowed Heroin to be sold in the USA, this shows a miss use of power given to Government Officials by the People. Oh no, no ,no my friends, this is not a conspiracy theory, this is 3 months of put the data together.

As it would seem, the Social Grace of the Rich is above the Law as long as the dollar support is at the back door.
Do you wish to end this War / drug, then stage a protest march that will awaken the American People, then take this War issue against Purdue Pharmaceutical Company.... I am tired of seeing our Men and Women of the United States Military die as the America Dollar supports our enemy.
Join Us...in the
International Boycott Of The Arabic Drug Empire Phase 2
Welcome to FASC Concepts / The Day The World Stood Still / We are at War with a Drug Empire
For nine years we have been at war and I still ask the big why ? Why is there a hands off policy that prevent the destruction of these poppy plants ? Did you know that American Dollars supported the Terrorist Attack on 9/11/2001, and thousands of lives have been lost. Who are the investors of the Pharmaceutical Company Purdue that makes Oxycontin and how are they above the Law ? Oxycontin is Heroin made from the opium / poppy plants. It is Illegal by Law to buy and resale Heroin. Purdue is responsible for the deaths on 9/11 and the on going addiction here in America. If it was Purdue who wished to be known as the largest heroin dealer in the USA, well congratulations and for showing the people who you do business with.
This drug from the poppy plant and the fight against its use goes back around 4000 to 6000 years and man seeks to control that which has shown that the poppy plant is as nature selected, uncontrollable. This is like a old saying as the as the Scorpion stung the Frog as he swim across the water and the Frog said why did you do this , now both of us will die ? And the Scorpion said it is my nature....
This is my War against the Arabic Drug Empire......
Please allow me to share a concept with the People Of America, that will build for tomorrow. The Great Wall Of China in America. A 10 year project, and within the respect of why China built that wall and even as of today China makes money form that wall. This project will build towns and cities on both sides of the border and will bring peace and security. Another concepts is,
To find a way into the hearts of children, first you must allow a truth to be shared and then let this share build within their hearts and you will see children open their minds to things not known.
I read these things and I see where the Arabic Drug Empire is involved with the Mexican Drug Lords. What lost of understanding is that according to the faith of Bin Laden it is forbidden by God to walk among the infidels. That all infidels are to be vanquished from this world in order that the chosen ones will repopulate the world. It is a well known fact that the Arabic Drug Empire seek biological war tactics and it has been heard that a chemical balance is sought of how to implement Biological with Drugs, in order for it to be undetectable. The betraying of the Mexican Drug Lords by The Arabic Drug Empire will bring death to Mexico and the United States. Why should the Mexican Drug Empire take faith in my words, first If you and I stood before God I say to you that this is true it is the words of the streets that hold credit, and nothing is offered to them, The Mexican Drug Lords, dealing drugs is illegal.
When I wrote my first " Boycott" I just wanted to see the trickle effect it would have, with out stepping into a forth dimension and having my in site lost. The Arabic Drug Empire is the only one in the world that seeks to kill every last man woman and child in the world in order for their chosen few can repopulate the world....Our goal is for our words to go around the world, to be heard in the streets to the country until it reaches the White House and shakes the very foundation of this Government Institution. It is not what we say that counts in as much as, it is what we do not say that builds words of truth. Some say that a Boycott is a waist of time, but it would depend on what is said , to understand we wish to live and we fight with words of truth to in force our right, because we face inhalation through the miss use of a faith.
It is not our goal to change a way a people think, but it is a goal to show only a truth, my goal is simple, to bring the destruction and down fall of this empire...
Some people ask me not to post this that some will think that i am nuts, but hey, look at this stuff that people do because of drugs, I think that nuts fits this drug world real good.
The following is also linked to drugs and Drug Empires that date back around 1000 years BC and a World and things not spoken of because of a intent for it to disappear from the knowledge of Mankind. A world so old that time its self had all most for got. A true story, also documented in history. That because of malevolent acts that is also ancient and is also documented history before Christ, the sacrileges committed against God in order to gain great wealth and to enslave nations through drugs, to build children into that they wish.... All of this is true and a fact of documentation of history. This sacrilege spoken of is in fact the sacrifice of life to spiritual evil. Even now documentation in Mexico and the United States , 1979 to 2000 reports filed and some cover ups now proved to be true. It is time to step away sit back and see what this drug dealing is doing and see those who have begun to lose their soul to this money making drug and the true and ancient evil bound to it. You do not have to take faith in my words for now, let your soul and mind speak to you. Some people seek proof of God, will, let me show you the essence of evil first and ah, will enjoy the ride, because it is said by thousands of people who do drugs that some how a door was opened to them a what came through to them, is only felt / sensed, and it stays in a darkness unseen to eyes, as it twist their soul into the thing of which they are not. As for me I read and I see that the fate of men is within their hands. So Im nuts huuu....Will I have shown you the links and a truth that you did not know, a world that should have been lost in knowledge of things so old and built within Empires, so help to pay this forward.
So join Us International Boycott Of The Arabic Drug Empire Phase 2
Henry Massingale / FASC Concepts in and for Pay It Forward covers the web post on google Drop by and see why we built a anti crime / war form in a Health Care Reform Concept. To strategically Rebuild America http://www.fascmovement.mysite.com on google look for page 1 american dream official site

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