It just goes to show that even now he simply doesn't get it. None other than the man so egregiously placed on a pedestal - General Petraeus - has now apologiesed for that "love affair". But an apology for the misguided wars he led in Iraq and Afghanistan, the torturing under his watch or the deaths caused by drones? Forget it!
"Retired Four-Star General David Petraeus is making headlines following his first public appearance since he resigned as head of the CIA last year amid revelations that he carried on an extramarital affair.
"Needless to say, I join you keenly aware that I am regarded in a different light now than I was a year ago," Petraeus said to a crowd of mostly US veterans Tuesday night. "I am also keenly aware that the reason for my recent journey was my own doing. So please allow me to begin my remarks this evening by reiterating how deeply I regret — and apologize for — the circumstances that led to my resignation from the CIA and caused such pain for my family, friends and supporters."
As his remarks continued, however, Petraeus—who commanded the US military in both Iraq and Afghanistan during his tenure as General—made no such apologies for the killing of civilians in those countries by his forces, the torture of detainees that occurred under his command, nor did he address the ultimate and enduring violence and political instability that remains the dominant reality in Iraq and Afghanistan even as he continues to accept credit for "successfully" turning the wars around with his "counter-insurgency policies."
As journalist Robert Parry documents, the "fawning media" made a hero of Petraeus, but the historical record of his performance paints another picture entirely.
"Petraeus actually has a less than sterling record of military success," wrote Parry at the time of his resignation from the CIA in 2012. "His supposedly successful “surge” in Iraq was more a public relations success than a change in the strategic trajectory toward ultimate U.S. failure there."
Continue reading here to see a catalogue of Patraeus failures.
"Retired Four-Star General David Petraeus is making headlines following his first public appearance since he resigned as head of the CIA last year amid revelations that he carried on an extramarital affair.
"Needless to say, I join you keenly aware that I am regarded in a different light now than I was a year ago," Petraeus said to a crowd of mostly US veterans Tuesday night. "I am also keenly aware that the reason for my recent journey was my own doing. So please allow me to begin my remarks this evening by reiterating how deeply I regret — and apologize for — the circumstances that led to my resignation from the CIA and caused such pain for my family, friends and supporters."
As his remarks continued, however, Petraeus—who commanded the US military in both Iraq and Afghanistan during his tenure as General—made no such apologies for the killing of civilians in those countries by his forces, the torture of detainees that occurred under his command, nor did he address the ultimate and enduring violence and political instability that remains the dominant reality in Iraq and Afghanistan even as he continues to accept credit for "successfully" turning the wars around with his "counter-insurgency policies."
As journalist Robert Parry documents, the "fawning media" made a hero of Petraeus, but the historical record of his performance paints another picture entirely.
"Petraeus actually has a less than sterling record of military success," wrote Parry at the time of his resignation from the CIA in 2012. "His supposedly successful “surge” in Iraq was more a public relations success than a change in the strategic trajectory toward ultimate U.S. failure there."
Continue reading here to see a catalogue of Patraeus failures.
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