Since the CIA is back in the war business, might as well put a general in charge.
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[…] 03. To distract from the fact he just appointed GENERAL "we are sort of kind of not winning in Afghanistan" PETRAUS as head of the CIA. […]
Maude
OT
PS3 OMG
Sony says about 77 million have been hacked.
Credit card numbers could have been stolen.
salacious crumb
This might as well have been an election move..sorry to be cynical, and while I think Petraeus is a good general, I dont see the rationale to appoint him to this unless for these 2 reasons
1) Military has huge support in the nation, especially Republicans and this wouldn’t be a bad time to some generals talk nice about Obama. If the Tea tards havent gone full batshit crazy its only because the military support for Obama exists
2) Obama could use Petraeus to start cutting the big bloated defence budgets and thus need him to stand up to other generals
2)
stuckinred
Thich Nhat Hanh was not available.
cleek
musical chairs
stuckinred
@salacious crumb: “defence budgets” you’re not from around here are you?
jwb
@salacious crumb: As I mentioned in another thread, being appointed into the Obama administration also poisons Petraeus with the Teatards.
Suffern ACE
Hmmmm. I guess there’s going to be serious boots on the ground in Libya after all.
suzanne
This seems like a very savvy move on Obama’s part.
Ghanima Atreides
I think Panetta is going to get us forcibly evicted from Af-Pak.
A genius move if there is little death involved.
Villago Delenda Est
One way to reduce “defense” spending: stop sending $1.2 million a pop cruise missiles downrange at the drop of a hat.
Just a suggestion.
Mark B
Petraeus is a punk. He’s damn good at self-promotion. Almost nothing else. Maybe that’s qualification enough for CIA director. It worked for pappy Bush.
Omnes Omnibus
@salacious crumb: This kills Petraeus as a Republican presidential candidate. Obama offered him a job to which it would be difficult for an ambitious man to say no. It is also a job that is not a good starting point for presidential campaigns (I know Bush I was head of the CIA for a while, but he was a politician first).
LGRooney
@salacious crumb: I thought the same. Just like Huntsman to China. It may also be an indication that there are still sane conservatives in the world and the current GOP is too batshit for them while the current D stands for all the things they used to.
Corner Stone
President Obama to hold a press conf regarding his birth certificate?
Good God.
stuckinred
White House releases Obama birth certificate
(CNN) – The White House released President Obama’s original birth certificate Wednesday.
The surprise release follows recent and sustained remarks by businessman Donald Trump, among others, that raised doubts as to whether the president was born in the United States.
stuckinred
And it will satisfy NONE of the fucking goobers.
OzoneR
I would have switched them, but I guess Petreaus not being a civilian makes him ineligible for defense.
Zifnab
When was the CIA not in the war business?
Just Some Fuckhead
@Corner Stone:
When sensible conservative Pat Buchanan tells you this needs to be done on national teevee, you do it stat. Ya can’t risk losing the Pat Buchanans of the world.
OzoneR
@stuckinred:
it doesn’t have to, it just has to get the media to shut up about it. (caveat: not sure it’ll do that either)
My guess is they did this because they have polling showing people are increasingly believing birther bullshit.
Omnes Omnibus
@OzoneR: It is one of the reasons both Powell and Marshall went to the State Department.
ETA: Panetta is currently running the CIA.
cleek
@Villago Delenda Est:
hell, my family’s entire tax bill for last year was barely enough to buy a base model JDAM: one fucking bomb, took us 4000 tax-hours to pay off.
Corner Stone
@stuckinred: It gives his critics traction to continue their nuttiness. Which may be what the WH ultimately wants.
Let the critics and conspiracy theorists go hoarse shouting about this and have the relatively sane middle of the road voter recoil from it.
General Stuck
Villago Delenda Est
@stuckinred:
DING DING DING DING DING!
As someone pointed out yesterday, archival film of Obama’s head coming out of his mother’s birth canal, with Diamondhead in the background and a copy of that day’s Honolulu newspaper displayed to the side would not be sufficient proof for the birfers. They cannot be satisfied by any documentary evidence concerning his birth…because he’s still near, and a Democrat, and therefore ineligible to be President under any circumstances whatsoever.
Joseph Nobles
@stuckinred: Hell, no. They’ll say that because he waited until now to release the original, he should never have been on the ticket, and thus his presidency is illegitimate.
Xenos
Drudge has the ‘long form’ certificate. No fucking footprints. No footprints, no peace, man.
Corner Stone
I just think this WH and admin get stampeded into these kinds of reactions way too often.
cleek
@Corner Stone:
TPM says the WH actually handed out copies of… the long form BC.
which of course won’t mean anything because copies aren’t official. and it was probably a Photoshop job. and the fact that he waited so long proves that it’s all part of the conspiracy the birthers have been onto all along!
Ghanima Atreides
@Corner Stone: i honestly think Obama is trying to get us forcibly evicted from Af-Pak.
It may be the only way out since the initial exit strat (the mini-surge) has failed.
BruinKid
@OzoneR: Yep. If the Obama team thought it would help him to keep the birthers raving, he wouldn’t have done this. But thanks to Trump’s bullshit, I think the lie is spreading like a virus much more dangerously than any of us would like, and so it’s gotta be killed ASAP.
Though after today, anyone who still admits to being a birther can and should be thoroughly mocked, and have rotten eggs thrown at them every time they step out in public.
Corner Stone
@cleek: Maybe their thinking is that the election is far enough away that this will wear out now and not be a press furor heading into the election.
Alex Gurney Halleck-S.
I haven’t got much time but I find these choices to be a little strange and more inspired by politics than policies. Petraeus’ confirmation is a sure bet. And Leon Panetta is a savvy insider. Still, at least Petraeus is failing upward.
WyldPirate
@suzanne:
Obama wiping his ass is a savvy move to some of you people.
He needs to get the troops the fuck out of Afghanistan. Eight more dead this morning. Shot at an airbase by one of the “friendly” Afghanis we are training.
Probably heard about some relative that got blown the fuck up the other day by one of our drones when they stopped, unarmed, in the middle of fucking no where Afghanistan—for morning prayers.
Joey Maloney
@Corner Stone: This captures what’s going on, I think:
stuckinred
@OzoneR: @cleek: You Got Me Goin in Circles
stuckinred
@WyldPirate: Six, get your rants straight dawg.
Ghanima Atreides
@Corner Stone: wallah. the obama admin is rarely stampeded. I think this is to squash the “religion on the birth certificate” angle. But birtherism and islamophobia will continue to spread in the run up to the 2012 election as the specific gravity of wingnuttiness increases to transinfinity.
The Wingularity is near.
Xenos
Freepers are already at it:
General Stuck
I predicted a long time ago, the end game with this bullshit is a full DNA panel to check his ancestry for terror ties, or at least Muslim ties. I could be crazy but no one would notice in the asylum.
Omnes Omnibus
@Xenos: I know all of those words, but that block quote doesn’t make any sense.
Sly
@Omnes Omnibus:
Trifling aside: Congress does have the authority to sidestep the “waiting period” eligibility requirement for Secretary of Defense. They did so when they approved George Marshall’s appointment to SecDef while he was still active military, but passed a non-binding “sense of Congress” resolution saying that no future appointees that do not meet the eligibility requirement will be considered.
Something similar was done with respect to Sec. Clinton as well, who’s Senate vote to increase the pay of the Secretary of State would have technically disbarred her from holding the office.
salacious crumb
@stuckinred: oh i am from around here but went to British schools when I was younger..some of the spellings have still stuck….
Ghanima Atreides
@Alex Gurney Halleck-S.: gurney, Gates had to be replaced, hes been leaving for a year….so Obama chose Panetta. Petraeus is a mil and couldn’t have the job while hes the FC in A-stan, and Panetta needs replaced at CIA, and Obama likes and trusts Petraeus.
But why Panetta for SecDef?
I think possibly Obama is trying to get us kicked out of A-stan since I dont think we are going to be able to meet the timetable goals for the drawdown.
stuckinred
@salacious crumb: Just funnin!
stuckinred
Photo of the Certificate of Live Birth
TaMara (BHF)
I’m torn on the birth certificate issue. Part of me thinks they caved, the other part thinks this just makes those who insist he wasn’t born in the USA look even more marginal (read: crazy ass fools).
If it makes Trump go away, it was all worth it. (fingers crossed, rabbit’s foot clutched in one hand, four leaf clover in the other hand. Please, please, please.
TaMara (BHF)
I’m torn on the birth certificate issue. Part of me thinks they caved, the other part thinks this just makes those who insist he wasn’t born in the USA look even more marginal (read: crazy ass fools).
If it makes Trump go away, it was all worth it. (fingers crossed, rabbit’s foot clutched in one hand, four leaf clover in the other hand. Please, please, please.
WyldPirate
@BruinKid:
The problem is the NEWS MEDIA HAS NOT MOCKED THE BIRTHERS BECAUSE THE WORK FOR THE FUCKING OLIGARCHS STEALING THE COUNTRY BLIND.
Sorry for the shouting, but this is a prime factor–if not the root cause– in many of the problems facing this country
Chris
@Corner Stone:
Oh for fuck’s sake, just ignore it already. There is absolutely nothing you can do to satisfy them, and all talking about it will do is throw gasoline on the fire. Even Bush had more sense than to hold a conference for the 9/11 Truth community.
TaMara (BHF)
Sorry for the double post that WP decided I couldn’t delete. Computer issues this a.m. There will need to be more coffee.
General Stuck
Ha ha ha, Of course you do pumpkin.
Villago Delenda Est
@Ghanima Atreides:
When Panetta was in Congress, his district included Fort Ord?
Just a wildass guess :P
stuckinred
@WyldPirate: If you are sorry for shouting don’t shout!
dmsilev
For the curious, TPM has a facsimile of The Long Form Birth Certificate. It’s clearly a fake, since it doesn’t identify the baby as being a Kenyan-born Muslim usurper.
dms
Corner Stone
Now Trump making the usual ass of himself. Taking credit for forcing the president’s hand.
stuckinred
@Chris: I find no mention of any press conference anywhere?
Omnes Omnibus
@Ghanima Atreides: Why Panetta? He is already part of the national security team, has a working relationship with Obama, has strong ties to the Hill, and has already received Senate confirmation for his current job and is therefore likely to get it again.
Why would Panetta’s appointment get US forces kicked out of Af-Pak?
Ash Can
@Corner Stone:
I think this hits the nail on the head. Trump the Chump is getting loads of coverage for his flailing. It’s a great time to tweak him (if he’s serious, and I’m not entirely convinced he is) and all the well-dressed idiots furrowing their brows and saying “Questions persist…” Not to mention all the usual assortment of rubes, racists, and ignoramuses who lap this shit up.
@Joey Maloney: That’s some high-grade snark there.
Corner Stone
@dmsilev:
Doesn’t it, though?
BR
@TaMara (BHF):
Same view here. My hope is that GOPers double down on the birther madness but the mainstream press finally stops entertaining their nonsense. That’ll mean that they’ll need to marginalize themselves with moderate voters to win birther votes.
Chris
@stuckinred:
Oh wait. Never mind – that might actually have been a good move.
Was it on Balloon Juice that somebody theorized Obama was letting the nuts mainstream Birtherism so that he could ram this down their throats at some point? Seems that person might’ve been right. (Personally, I would’ve waited even longer if that’s the case, until after the Republican candidate field was well defined and more of them had had an opportunity to be drawn into this. But hell, it’s his birth certificate. Well done, Mr. President).
Joe Beese
Just thought I’d mention that the Notorious F.D.L. called this last month.
Corner Stone
@stuckinred: MSNBC reporting a 9:45ET talk by President Obama on this issue.
danimal
@BruinKid:
Sorry to quibble, but we passed that point about two years ago.
Birtherism is a quick screen to determine if its worth trying to discuss and persuade conservatives. If a birther, write him or her off; it’s useless to talk sense to them.
Ghanima Atreides
@WyldPirate: but how do we leave? the exit strat (the mini surge) failed already.
The Paks fuckin’ hate Panetta. Why appoint him out all the potential candidates?
To get us kicked out of Af-Pak because we cant meet the drawdown timetable?
General Stuck
@dmsilev:
Yes, and if you look real close through the special wingnut twoofer glasses, you can clearly see someone scratched out “TerrorTown, Kenya” and typed in Hawaii. Probly used Dan Rather’s typewriter.
brentblah
KERNERS. ARE. GO!!!
stuckinred
@Corner Stone: thx
Omnes Omnibus
@danimal:
Pretty much this.
Corner Stone
Trump is just a buffoon. That he gets one second of airtime is the ultimate definition of how badly our media has failed.
dmsilev
@Corner Stone:
No. I looked through it quite carefully, and the ‘Will undermine the American Way as an adult’ box was clearly left unchecked.
dms
stuckinred
@Joe Beese: Even a blind squirrel gets an acorn now and then.
stuckinred
Trump is taking credit.
4tehlulz
THEY SEE ME KERNIN’
THEY HATIN’
Rosalita
now Trump wants college transcripts?
General Stuck
Trump is triangulating with the Pro left on Libya. How cool is that?
Corner Stone
I like seeing all the news puppets up there gyrating in front of the podium, talking into their cameras and giving their reports.
Pretty comical, at least IMO.
MSNBC
Joe Beese
Also: “Obama is trying to get us kicked out of Af-Pak as a way to end the war” is just the 2011 edition of “11-dimensional chess”.
rikryah
I thought Petreaus was leaving the government period. surprised he’d do this
Joey Maloney
Someone’s gotta get Orly Taitz on the record about this!
Gin & Tonic
OT, but what’s with all the Dune-based nyms all of a sudden? Did I miss something?
Omnes Omnibus
If the media had any sense of shame, they would be feeling it right now as Obama gives them a stern talking to. Of course, if my grandmother had wheels, she would be a tram.
Corner Stone
Obama just in effect called Trump a carnival sideshow barker.
Omnes Omnibus
“We don’t have time for this kind of silliness.”
Georgia Pig
Releasing the birth certificate now is probably a good tactical move. Trump had put it on the front burner again, getting enough traction to become the front runner for the nomination, such that the rest of the Republican field could not passively let it fester. Of course, Obama knows that Trump will never be the nominee, because that guy is a joke with fucking truckload of skeletons in his closet. Obama is more worried about the rest of the Republican field.
Releasing the BC won’t appease the birther core. As research has shown, these monomaniacs will double down on their fantasies even in the face of clear evidence to the contrary. However, the BC release will put the Republican candidates in a difficult position because it will satisfy the Village, who are paying attention to this nonsense because of Trump. This, in turn, will put pressure on the rest of the Republican field to distance themselves from Trump and the rest of the full metal birfers. That drives a big wedge between those candidates and a big chunk of the Republican base. It may make it harder for them to get away with the wink-wink, nudge-nudge shit they’ve been playing for the past couple of years. The birfers tend to be the same morons that believe in death panels, islamosockalism and the rest of the nutbag cosmology. If the establishment republican candidates jettison birferism, they risk alienating this agitated moron base and demotivating them from going to the polls in 2012. If they don’t, they risk looking like complete nutjobs, which will become 24/7 fodder for the village media. Maybe this is why Barbour dropped out, he’s actually pretty canny and knows this may not end well for Republicans.
Ghanima Atreides
@Omnes Omnibus: The Paks hate him.
Do you read pakistan news sources?
US Mocks Pak Demands with Fresh Drone Strikes.
Ghanima Atreides
@Gin & Tonic: all the kool kidz are doin’ it.
Joe Beese
@Georgia Pig:
You mean “pinch your nostrils and vote for the Party hack” won’t work for the 2012 Republican nominee any better than it did for John Kerry?
BOSS BITCH
oh goody, now Donald Trump can release all his financial statements. Someone gonna call him on it?
BOSS BITCH
@Corner Stone:
You mean like when he had to confirm (numerous times) to members of his own party and their whacked supporters that he is not going to gut SS and Medicare.?
Omnes Omnibus
@Ghanima Atreides: Interesting, but probably a little 11-D. My guess is Panetta was chosen for the reasons I stated above. I doubt we are giving veto power over Cabinet appointments to Pakistan.
stuckinred
Speaking at a press conference in New Hampshire, the potential presidential contender said that he’s “proud” in light of the disclosure. He added, however, “it is rather amazing that all of the sudden” the document surfaces. He suggested it should be inspected to ensure its authenticity.
Ghanima Atreides
@Georgia Pig: Trump was mainstreaming birtherism, legitimizing it. This is what the other side does.
They traditionally legitimize socon values, homophobia, IDT, and AGW denialism by saying those things are wrong but it is UNDERSTANDABLE ie reasonable that the base believes them. Just talking about birtherism, giving it media discussion time legitimizes it …..and Trump was embracing full birtherism, without even the false disclaimer.
What happens next? Look for more attempts now to mainstream islamophobia, like the LoOG’s new frontpager Tim Kowal.
Chris
@BOSS BITCH:
Now, he only said “maybe.” You’re not seriously saying he should be held to the same standards as that foreign-born Kenyonesian Muslim? He’s a rich white guy. Have some decorum, now really.
Rosalita
@Corner Stone:
A priceless tweet:
daveweigel daveweigel
by rudepundit
BREAKING: National Association of Carnival Barkers Demands Apology From Obama… DEVELOPING
Chad N Freude
Several commenters above have noted that The Donald is claiming credit for bringing Obama’s birth certificate into the world. What he actually said raises the bar for narcissistic buffoonery to a level never seen before:
Chris
@Georgia Pig:
Which is why it might have been advisable to wait until that field was better defined, and they’d all had to take some position or other on the Birther “controversy.” Leave them all with egg on their faces instead of just the loon who wasn’t going to make it anyway.
Corner Stone
@BOSS BITCH: BITCH, no I mean for one example the Shirley Shirrod firing.
Ghanima Atreides
@Joe Beese: and Omnes! well….these are the facts.
1. Gates has been leaving for a year. Obama had to name a replacement. He named Panetta.
2. The Paks hate Panetta.
3. The minisurge (Obama’s initial exit strategy) has failed. That was why McC fired himself last year. He knew he could not make the drawdown timelines.
so I don’t know. I can only guess that Panetta’s appointment is somehow convolved with developing a new exit strat for A-stan.
/shrug
It is just a hypoth.
Corner Stone
@Chris:
Which is why IMO the WH didn’t have a strategy on this specific issue, but was rather just stringing it along and letting the nutty build up a bit.
IMO, if they had been 11-D’ng this issue they would have waited til a couple heavyweight R candidates had said something about it. Then dropped the hammer.
Ghanima Atreides
@Chris: and Cornerstone! like i said, the more airtime birtherism gets, the more it becomes mainstream and legit.
I bet polls show increasing birtherism over the last two weeks.
human nature in action.
;)
Georgia Pig
@Chris: The risk with that is that Trump was eventually going away. He’d say something really stupid (the affirmative action shit was close) or the press would just tire of him. He has maximum visibility now, evidenced by the fact that he can hold a press conference on this nonsense.
JCT
@Chris:
I think that even some of the serious loonies like Bachmann had started backing away, so I think they decided the time is now. The WH rode the issue (with recent help from Trump the Chump) as far as it would go. I agree with the folks that think it will drive a bigger wedge — this will be fun.
Now, I want to see the next poll asking people whether they *now* believe the President was born here. Anyone want the over/under on 27% ?
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: My guess is that they were, as you say letting the nutty build up, but they probably had internal polling that suggested that now was the time even though they couldn’t drop the hammer on some heavyweights. Also, among sentient beings, there should be no controversy about Obama’s birthplace. This means that the heavyweights still will have to negotiate the birther heavy GOP primary process while not saying something that kills them in the general election.
Ghanima Atreides
@Corner Stone: umm, no. Obama knows he cannot convert birthers to non-birthers. Backfire effect in the conservative base.
What he can do is stop the Right from normalizing and legitimizing birtherism, deprive birtherism of oxygen and media airtime, and stop more conversions.
Corner Stone
The timing of this is a little poor, to me. Obama gave this lecture about serious issues and no time for sillines. Then he gets on a plane to do an Oprah interview.
A small nit, to be sure, but one I am sure will be freeped.
RossInDetroit
At best he can shame the media into dropping coverage of this absurd ‘issue’.
Wait, no he can’t. They’re completely shameless. Never mind.
Chris
@JCT:
Over 27%, methinks. Still nowhere near a majority. But you’ve got to account for all the people who listen politely and attentively to the 27%ers and think “hmm, well that’s interesting, maybe they have a point.”
Corner Stone
@Chris:
IOW…morons. I think we’re in trouble.
eemom
@Ghanima Atreides:
LoOG? I do believe that’s where FPer ED Kain hangs out. Are you acquainted with his work? Perhaps you might form an opinion.
Ghanima Atreides
@eemom: did you miss the thread end eemom? i formed a definitive conclusion about EDK’s attempt to fluff racist tenther unionbashing anti-Roe AGW denialist libertarian GaJo right here.
I would be more than happy to elaborate on the LoOG’s ongoing attempts to mainstream islamophobia if there is a post on it.
Perhaps EDK will make a FP post defending Kowal like he did for Gary Johnson.
/begins sharpening crysknife
;)
scav
@Corner Stone: Depends what he’s doing, what his goals are. If he’s pitching the “I’m doing my best to be reasonable with the wackadoodles” to the not-obsessively-paying-attention-to-politics crowd, Oprah might be a good channel to be visibly reasonable and one that bypasses the official MSM.
Superluminar
@eemom
Why, reading that last comment, you might be forgiven for thinking that G_A was in some way connected to a certain stalkerish persona who used to post here, but I’m sure they a two completely different people…
cat48
@Corner Stone:
Omnes Omnibus
@Superluminar: No, she announced her name change. Even explained here reasoning. One felt truly blessed to be there to witness the transformation.
Corner Stone
@scav: I’m not concerned either way, just sure that the rallying cry of “Oprah interview!” will now enter the distorted Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra code speaking lexicon of the wingnuts.
Ghanima Atreides
@Superluminar: are you related to the “serious” superluminar that used to post here?
Martin
Is the shakeup anything more than the obvious “Hey, why don’t we try someone at the CIA who isn’t distrustful of the Pentagon and someone at Defense who isn’t distrustful of Langley and see if that unfuckups things a bit?”
Ghanima Atreides
@Omnes Omnibus: blame mistermix for copying me.
but I actually think he makes a good Muadib.
The spice trance is convincing at least.
scav
@Corner Stone: honestly, his next breakfast choice could enter that so why waste bandwidth.
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: Oh, it will enter their lexicon. If he had left the briefing room and eaten a doughnut, the term “bear claw” would enter their lexicon.
Corner Stone
I am glad I could provide this chance for the Omnes_scav mindmeld.
Ghanima Atreides
@Omnes Omnibus: for example….why would Obama choose Panetta to deal with escalating anti-droning protests?
Does it seem to you like Obama is actually TRYING to radicalize Af-Pak with the Panetta appointment?
Or perhaps it is like the wily old Baron putting Beast Rabban in charge of Arrakis to cruelly oppress the fremen and the fedaykin so that the na-Baron Feyd-Rautha would appear to be a benevolent savior by comparison.
Who can say?
Bob Loblaw
I realize this thread had nothing really to do with Petraeus and Panetta what with other more “exciting” news of the day, but I’m surprised nobody pointed out how ridiculous and fawning the usual bunch of administration sycophants turned out to be again.
When McChrystal was relieved, the chessmaster brigade was sure that bringing in Petraeus was a “demotion,” a “political masterstroke,” and “a show of civilian authority over a renegade military.”
Really? Because it seems instead like an administration that still believes in the Petraeus/McC strategic wing and desperately wanted to save some measure of success in the region instead. Moving Petraeus out of Centcom crippled his chance to maneuver himself into the Joint Chiefs, so they found him a top line cabinet position anyway as reward. And McChrystal, rather than being on the outs with the administration forever, is working first hand now with the fucking First Lady on a presidential commission!
Things are usually pretty straightforward. There just isn’t much intrigue here.
Ghanima Atreides
@Bob Loblaw: well…what happened was that O sat down with the generals and said give me an exit strat boiz. And then that Mullen, Gates, Petraeus and McC told Obama what they would need 100k troops, X billion dollars, and McC to lead the op. That was the minisurge.
But last year McC saw that the minisurge was FAIL, and he couldn’t make the timeline to start the drawdown.
So he very publically fired himself in the Rolling Stone.
I think he is a good, decent guy, that is basically a SpecOps guy. They think they can do ANYTHING if they got the mecha and the manpower.
But A-stan is an impossible problem at this point. Petraeus cant make it work either.
I think McC partnering with Michelle O is going to be great for military families. And they are going to need beaucoup helps when the 50k troops leave Iraq in December.
DPirate
Did they give it up for Lent or something?