The Man Called Petraeus (2)

Gareth Porter takes on The Petraeus Myth in this 12/11/2012 interview with The Real News:

The transcript can be found at The Petraeus Myth Truthout 12/12/2012. Gareth also has a four-part series at Truthout on our onetime Saviour-General Petraeus' military feats:

1. How Petraeus Created the Myth of His Success, Part One: How the Myth Began - Petraeus in Mosul 11/27/2012
2. How Petraeus Quietly Stoked the Fires of Sectarian War without Getting Burned 12/04/2012
3. Petraeus Rising: Managing the "War of Perceptions" in Iraq 12/14/2012
   
4. True Believer: Petraeus and the Mythology of Afghanistan 12/20/2012

He also has a recent article describing how Patraeus' girlfriend Paula Broadwell acted as his moutpiece in justifying the destruction of an Aghan village, another one of those destroy-the-village-in-order-to-save-it moments, Broadwell Defended Petraeus’ Village Destruction Policy Inter Press Service 11/15/2012. Unlike what one might conclude from reading Frank Rich in the article discussed in Part 1 yesterday, it wasn't just the local press around Tampa who was reporting faults in the Saviour-General. In a 2009 interview, Petraeus versus the President? The Real News 02/03/2009, Gareth was reporting critically on the Saviour-General, and the pressure Petraeus and the Pentagon were putting on newly-elected President Obama to extend the war in Iraq.

Gareth and others were making critical reports and analyses such as the following; Gareth Porter, The Surge and American Military Triumphalism Huffington Post 01/04/2008 Gareth Porter, Leaked Report, New Iraqi Alignment Reveal U.S. War Failure Inter Press Service 10/25/2010 Peter Baker, et al, Among Top Officials, 'Surge' Has Sparked Dissent, Infighting Washington Post 09/09/07. Michael Gordon, U.S. Command Shortens Life of ‘Long War’ as a Reference New York Times 04/24/07. (Caution: Gordon shared a byline with the infamous Judith Miller on some of her most notorious WMD-in-Iraq articles, so his reporting always has to be taken with caution.) Peter Baker, General Is Front Man For Bush's Iraq Plan by Washington Post 02/07/07 Tags: petraeus