Lest anyone here be saddened by the sudden departure of Gen. Betrayus from CIA

[99th_Monkey]

This story broke today, announcing Gen. Petaeus's abrupt resignation from heading up the CIA,
due to some elicit "affair" he is having, not uncommon in Republican circles, but clearly something
the head of the CIA should avoid at all costs. I do not mourn this turn of events. On the contrary,
I am unashamedly relieved and happy about it, for the following reasons.
http://www.politicususa.com/gop-dreams-david-petraeus-president-crash-burn-affair-revelations.html

In actuality, this man was a GWBush Bag-man on steroids, who "supervised" some of the most corrupt
and criminal activities during the Iraq bloodbath in its heyday... he actively refused to allow Col. Ted
Westhusing to do his job, i.e. to shed light on the corruption by private "contractors" skimming
butt-loads of defense dollars, helping create the deficit we are now attempting to come to terms with,
nearly a decade later. In June 2005, Col. Westhusing turned up with a bullet in his head for doing his
job, which was deemed a "suicide" to the creepy shagrin of anyone who knew Westhusing, a truly
honorable man just trying to do his fucking job, who then turns up suspiciously dead.

This from The Nation in 2011.

General Petraeus's Link to a Troubling Suicide in Iraq: The Ted Westhusing Story
Greg Mitchell on June 27, 2011 - 9:40 AM ET
The scourge of suicides among American troops and reservists in Iraq and Afghanistan remains a serious and seriously underreported problem. Last month they hit a new high in the US Army, despite intensive new efforts to prevent them. One of the few high-profile cases emerged six years ago this month, and it involves a much-admired Army colonel and ethicist named Ted Westhusing—who, in his suicide note, pointed a finger at a then little-known US general named David Petraeus.

Westhusing’s widow, asked by a friend what killed this West Point scholar, replied simply: “Iraq.”

Before putting a bullet through his head, Westhusing had been deeply disturbed by abuses carried out by American contractors in Iraq, including allegations that they had witnessed or even participated in the murder of Iraqis. His suicide note included claims that his two commanders, Lt. Gen. Petraeus and Maj. Gen. Josephy Fil, tolerated a mission based on “corruption, human rights abuses and liars. I am sullied—no more. I didn’t volunteer to support corrupt, money grubbing contractors, nor work for commanders only interested in themselves.” One of those commanders: the future leader of American forces in Iraq, and then Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus.

Westhusing, 44, had been found dead in a trailer at a military base near the Baghdad airport in June 2005, a single gunshot wound to the head. At the time, he was the highest-ranking officer to die in Iraq. The Army concluded that he committed suicide with his service pistol and found his charges against the commanders unfounded. Petraeus and Fil would later attend Westhusing’s memorial service back in the United States.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/36661/general-petraeuss-link-troubling-suicide-iraq-ted-westhusing-story#

I feel our country is much safer and better off with this man removed as far as possible
from the key levers of power wielded by the CIA. I have no shame about feeling happy
and a huge sense of relief about this turn of events.

But maybe that's just me.

[flamingdem]

1. Yes, thanks for this I was thinking the same, he's popular

and smart and a credible threat in 2016, Dems dodge another bullet.

[malokvale77]

2. I totally agree with you.

I always thought he was a creep. I see Admiral McRaven as a better model for honor in our military leaders.

[PuppyBismark]

3. The Right saw him as a possible Presidential or VP candidate, He would have been hard to defeat.

We just dodged a bullet.

[kelliekat44]

27. Was he Blackwater-Halliburton man on the inside?

[riderinthestorm]

4. Here's a link to Octafish's OP about Westhusing and Petraeus from earlier. Same line of thought fyi

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021777389

Lots of excellent info there from Octafish

[99th_Monkey]

5. Yep, I saw that, and posted my link there too. thanks for heads up tho. nt

[Solly Mack]

6. k/r

[DemocratsForProgress]

7. Great post!

And good riddance to the general.

[pasto76]

8. having a general head the CIA is a conflict in my book.

Hayden was one thing, but the former CENTCOM commander and architect of these two wars...was never happy with him in that spot

[rocktivity]

9. So he eventually DID betray us.

I know we all make mistakes, but the head of the CIA putting himself in position to be blackmailed by an affair is like Michael Jordan sinking a three-pointer for the other team.


rocktivity

[99th_Monkey]

10. Yes, but his betrayal didn't start with Ms. Broadwell

or actually I think it's MRS. Broadwell, as I understand she is also married, or
was back in Jan, when she was on John Stewart show.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-january-25-2012/paula-broadwell

He's always been an untrustworth character in my book, as you can no doubt
tell from my op comments.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

11. Let's hope Obama puts in someone with a brain who knows he works for us....

Some of the worse people have held that post. Some corrupt, some conniving, some just plain evil.

[99th_Monkey]

12. How about Valarie Plame?

Except for that she's probably not evil enough for the job.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. I have a wild suggestion...

[99th_Monkey]

20. I'd rather see Barney replace Geithner

which I think is more in Barney's line of expertise.

But I certainly would support Frank's appointment to head the CIA,
based on that I trust the man, more than most in public office.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

25. Him or Kucinich.

[99th_Monkey]

28. Kucinich for CIA or Treasury? I could see either

as desirable, but no very likely. I love Dennis..

[Spitfire of ATJ]

32. I picture him using the CIA to promote peace,....for once.

[99th_Monkey]

34. That would float my boat. :-) nt

[fadedrose]

33. Great idea. Barney should be somewhere up there...

[Spitfire of ATJ]

38. When asked about his future all he says is that he's looking forward to,...

...not pretending to be nice to these people.

Bill Maher called him on that saying he hadn't been.

Barney said, "I didn't say I was good at it."



I think he's been offered a really good attack dog position.

[patrice]

13. Wow. I met a guy who had contracted to train Iraqi security personnel. I met him when he was in a

Long Term Care Administrator training program.

He told me that he had been In Iraq and what his job was there and that he had just received word that the entire squad he had trained had been blown up, just after he left Iraq. All dead. And he felt he had been spared, because God had a purpose for him. (I guess he had decided that purpose was to make 6+ figures a year as an LTC Administrator.)

I said if he had been blown up, at least he would have gone with the knowledge that he had chosen to be there and that was a whole lot better deal than his Iraqi squad had gotten.

We didn't talk again after that.

From this story about Col. Ted Westhusing, I'm wondering what kind of LTC Administrator this guy turned out to be.

[99th_Monkey]

14. Sorry if I'm being dense

but I'm unclear about who you are referring to as being an LTC Administrator.

Not Patraeus. and I don't think it would be Westhusing either?

So please help me out here.

[patrice]

18. The guy whom I met who had been a contractor who trained Iraqi security forces.

He was back from Iraq and in an LTC Administrator program when I met him.

I was just thinking about Westhusing's assessment of those particular contractors:

Bryce concluded: “In September 2005, the Army’s inspector general concluded an investigation into allegations raised in the anonymous letter to Westhusing shortly before his death. It found no basis for any of the issues raised. Although the report is redacted in places, it is clear that the investigation was aimed at determining whether Fil or Petraeus had ignored the corruption and human rights abuses allegedly occurring within the training program for Iraqi security personnel.”

[99th_Monkey]

24. ah, yes. thanks for the clarity. nt

[coalition_unwilling]

15. Be-Tray-Us actually betrayed us! Hope there's a little bit of what

Bradley Manning received in Be-tray-us' future. Starting with full court martial and 23 hours solitary each day.

[99th_Monkey]

17. I wouldn't put any money on Betrayus ever being court martialed

Much less serve any jail time what-so-ever.

But, personally, I'd much rather see that happen to
THIS guy, instead of PFC Manning.

[coalition_unwilling]

19. He resigned from the Army in 2011, so UCMJ may not have jurisdiction. But it's

a prosecutable offense (or it used to be) for an officer to commit adultery. Conduct unbecoming or some such . . .

[Gabi Hayes]

21. I was really PISSED when Obama put this skumbug in. What on earth was he thinking?

when is he going to learn that trying to mollify the right wing maniacs who run the repub party is the absolute wrong thing to do?

thanks very much for the most enlightening info, btw

I'd read much other stuff about how rotten Petraeus was, more from a military standpoint, but this is just too too too

[Gabi Hayes]

22. Oh....PIers Morgan had Paul Bremer on, of all people, talking about Petrock. certainly one of

the few men more corrupt, more vile than the general himself

he started in on Libya, of course, putting Obama in the worst light possible, capably assisted by that cretin Morgan

[kelliekat44]

26. Piers is so obvious with his BS.

[99th_Monkey]

23. My pleasure. ;-) Happy trails to you.

Roy Rogers was one of my major childhood heros.

[Gabi Hayes]

30. ahhhh.....what was the name of Pat Brady's Jeep?

I remembered after about 10 seconds....first thing that came to mind was Clarabelle

that's a hint

[Gabi Hayes]

35. got 52 minutes to spare? some amusing bits here and there TGFFF

&feature=related

[coalition_unwilling]

37. The very first thing that started my disillusionment with Obama was his retention of

Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense.

WTF?????

My wife said it was a case of 'both sides playing for the same team'.

[spanone]

29. glad he's gone. military + cia = bad

[fadedrose]

31. I thought that being sent to CIA was punishment....

I remember that he was uncomplimentary about our policy in Iraq and he was removed from that post for that reason. Guess I was wrong....

[Gabi Hayes]

36. fucking upward, I believe, is the phrase