Did you know that Petraeus had expressed long-term interest in running for President?

Question

Does this influence his "report?"
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"Petraeus expressed interest in presidency"

Sep. 13- The US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, expressed long-term interest in running for the US presidency when he was stationed in Baghdad, according to a senior Iraqi official who knew him at that time.

Sabah Khadim, then a senior adviser at Iraq's Interior Ministry, says General Petraeus discussed with him his ambition when the general was head of training and recruitment of the Iraqi army in 2004-05.

"I asked him if he was planning to run in 2008 and he said, 'No, that would be too soon'," Khadim, who now lives in London, said.

General Petraeus has a reputation in the US Army for being a man of great ambition. But General Petraeus's open interest in the presidency may lead critics to suggest that his own political ambitions have influenced him in putting an optimistic gloss on the US military position in Iraq

Khadim was a senior adviser in the Iraqi Interior Ministry in 2004-05 when Iyad Allawi was prime minister.

"My office was in the Adnan Palace in the Green Zone, which was close to General Petraeus's office," Khadim recalls. He had meetings with the general because the Interior Ministry was involved in vetting the loyalty of Iraqis recruited as army officers. Khadim was critical of the general's choice of Iraqis to work with him.

For a soldier whose military abilities and experience are so lauded by the White House, General Petraeus has had a surprisingly controversial career in Iraq. His critics hold him at least partly responsible for three debacles: the capture of Mosul by the insurgents in 2004; the failure to train an effective Iraqi army and the theft of the entire Iraqi arms procurement budget in 2004-05.

General Petraeus went to Iraq during the invasion of 2003 as commander of the 101st Airborne Division and had not previously seen combat.

He first became prominent when the 101st was based in Mosul, in northern Iraq, where he pursued a more conciliatory line toward former Baathists and Iraqi army officers than the stated US policy.

His efforts were deemed successful. When the 101st left in February 2004, it had lost only 60 troops in combat and accidents. General Petraeus had built up the local police by recruiting officers who had previously worked for Saddam Hussein's security apparatus.

Although Mosul remained quiet for some months after, the US suffered one of its worse setbacks of the war in November 2004 when insurgents captured most of the city. The 7,000 police recruited by General Petraeus either changed sides or went home. Thirty police stations were captured, 11,000 assault rifles were lost and $41m worth of military equipment disappeared. Iraqi army units abandoned their bases.

The general's next job was to oversee the training of a new Iraqi army.

As head of the Multinational Security Transition Command, General Petraeus claimed that his efforts were proving successful. In an article in The Washington Post in September 2004, he wrote: "Training is on track and increasing in capacity. Infrastructure is being repaired. Command and control structures and institutions are being re-established." This optimism turned out be misleading; three years later the Iraqi army is notoriously ineffective and corrupt.

General Petraeus was in charge of the Security Transition Command at the time that the Iraqi procurement budget of $1.2 billion was stolen. "It is possibly one of the largest thefts in history," Iraq's Finance Minister, Ali Allawi, said. "Huge amounts of money disappeared. In return we got nothing but scraps of metal."

Khadim is skeptical that the "surge" is working. Commenting on the US military alliance with the Sunni tribes in Anbar province, he said: "They will take your money, but when the money runs out they will change

...but when the money runs out they will change sides again."

Source: Independent (UK)

Answer 1

He's got a lot of medals for a guy who's never seen combat in his life.

But at least he is over there. Not like the coward who is his commander-in-chief.

Petraeus is certainly no Eisenhower or MacArthur, that's for sure.

His ego seems to know no bounds, nor his ambition.

And his report was a masterful piece of deception. But most lazy Americans, with our gerbil-like attention spans, won't read the transcript of it to see all the gaping holes. They'll just wave a little flag and say 'support our troops" (no matter what they say or do?)

He'd make a great president for a nation of obedient slaves.

Answer 2

I would have to say there isn't anything wrong with his wanting to run for President. Heck, if I had quarter of the Money Bush does, I would already be president. Why you ask?

- I am smart
- Intelligent
- Able to make decisions on my own
- Admit mistakes and fix them BEFORE it goes out of hand
- Truly an American patriot unlike a patriot to the big business
- I can speak for a few hours knowing exactly what I am talking about.
- I realize I am not God or not talking to God directly
- I realize there is more to the world than just the US
- I realize there is more to the US than just filthy rich people

And that is everything Bush isnt....!!!! Well, ok may be I cant be president just because of these....

I would have to agree that the rosey picture the General is painting may have something to do with his ambitions, however, Iraq is clearly not doing as good as he suggests.

Answer 3

If General Petraeus truly does have presidential ambitions, then that must mean he believes a positive outcome is possible in Iraq...

Surely the general realized before taking command of operations in Iraq that failure on his part would be political suicide.

Thanks, knowing that a calculating and ambitious man such as General Petraeus is willing to stake his future political ambitions on his ability to successfully lead in Iraq has brightened my day.

Answer 4

Or could it be that his report was based on truth and fact?

What's wrong with a military person seeking the presidency. Clark did it in the last election-----now he's endorsing Clinton. Washington, Jackson. Grant, most of the Presidents in the late 1800's, Eisenhower were all retired generals. They didn't do too bad.

Answer 5

Like Wesley Clark?

Answer 6

well by being born in the the U.S.A. that is every person ideal to be some one that do good in life, so it not a sup rise to me that you or anyone would not want to be the President it the best thing in the world that other peoples would love to be,so if you want to yes go ahead, but there other peoples that would try to bring him or you down, yes him and any one that want should go for it

Answer 7

Imagine that.

A man whose own commander considers a shill for the GOP,wanting to be President.

Answer 8

This is an excellent question. I think it only stands to reason that if he has any political ambitions he would portray Iraq in positive terms.

Answer 9

haha..Hail, Imperator Maximus Petraeus!

Answer 10

Sueprise, surprise. He not going to be in the army forever, so this would not be any great surprise.