Why do conservative pundits think their judgement is superior to General Petraeus'?

Gral Petraeus is a very good,highly competent military officer who knows not only HOW to do his job but also exactly WHAT his job is.

He was sent to fight a war(by the elected leaders of our country) and he knows how to do that. When asked questions that go beyond that mission,he rightly and HONESTLY declines to answer them because it is neither his place to do so and it doesn't come within the field of what he supposed to know. Apparently, some neoconservatives who support the government's reasons (all umpteen- hundreds of them) for waging the war can't understand Petraeus's honesty and professionalism when it doesn't uphold these reasons.

I have been against the war from day one but have great respect for his professionalism and will only start to worry when he(or other members of the military) exceed what they are explicitly called upon to do by our constitution.

Although I am sure Petraeus is correct in his MILITARY assesment of the war and it would be stupid of me to contradict him on a military matter,I am alarmed at some of the measures he recommends for combating insurgency (note! NOT measures for making us safer - they are not one and the same thing). I refer specifically to the arming of so called ¨friendly¨ tribes or supplying counterinsurgents with arms and money.

This probably is the military textbook answer to fighting the kind of violence we see over there but it will only work if certain conditions are true and it is these conditions I doubt. Are we in any position to CORRECTLY identify which ¨friends¨we should be arming and funding? It is our sad history that we have been duped before(Ho Chi Minh,Fidel Castro, Noriega,Saddam Hussein,and the list goes on). Petraeus is undoubtedly correct in that this measure will win the short term issue but our politicians have to be concerned with the long term issues -that is THEIR job!

To specifically answer your question, I would say that Petraeus, by declining to equate winning against the insurgents in Iraq with making us in the U.S. safer (homeland security),blew up singlehandedly the one argument that the neocons have been beating us stupid disbelievers in the war's ultimate good over the head with.

This should be- for all reasonable thinkers- proof positive that the war in Iraq was and is not being fought to make the world (or even the U.S. ) safe for us. I'm not saying this,the country's foremost general is.

(perhaps the next step is to dismiss him as a wishy washy lily livered liberal. I 'm sure FOX news is more than prepared to pull out all the stops)

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This war isn't making America safer.

And to Rob who claims no attacks since 9-11. Would you care to explain the Anthrax attacks of 2001? Or the Ricin attacks of 2004?

People died during these attacks.

Short memory, or selective memory?

For the same reason that liberal pundits believe that he is incorrect about the appropriate strategy for our troops in Iraq. Both of speaking from a political viewpoint which has nothing to do with a military viewpoint.

Despite his extensive experience and first hand knowledge of the situation Gen. Petraeus apparently knows nothing as he failed to see the fox news report that stated we are indeed safer.

Everybody has an opinion, and sorry to say, many who shouldn't are determined to always state theirs publicly. Some opinions are founded on facts, and some -- like the GOP rank and file -- on fuzzy "I-feel" sloppy thinking.

I hope this helps.

The war is not making safer???

Since 9/11 no other attacks... Thats's enough already!

I would like to hear what is the strategy of the dems. to catch Bin Laden... which our troops are already doing

They think their opinion is superior to everyones. It's just a con thing.

Ummm What????? It's the Liberals that are accusing him of lying not Republicans . And every one knows Republicans are Superior to Liberal Democrats