The below is an article from the Washington Times.
He has earned his place in history. It is shameful that the
Commander-in-Chief he honorably served, did not show up. SHAMEFUL.
THE WASHINGTON TIMES, EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL: An old soldier who won't fade away
Obama is outclassed and outsmarted by retiring Gen. Petraeus:
Gen. David H. Petraeus closed his phenomenal 37-year Army career this week
with a joint review at Fort Myer in Arlington . Service members from every
branch were present, and flags of all 50 states fluttered in the breeze. A
substantial crowd had come to hear the general's farewell address. Many were
classmates from the West Point Class of 1974, smartly attired but
enthusiastic and occasionally whooping like they were cadets. Others were
people with whom he had served over his storied career, whom he recognized
from the dais during his speech. The morning was sunny and clear, and the
general was his usual affable, ebullient self.
In his remarks, Gen. Petraeus recalled the days when he entered the
military, when the Vietnam War was winding down and the armed services were
being pared down to the "hollow forces" of the 1970s. "The Army I joined as
a second lieutenant had suffered enormously," he said. "In the wake of our
involvement in Vietnam , our Army and much of our military were grappling
with a host of very serious challenges." The senior leaders who first wore
the uniform in those dark days were not discouraged. They began their
careers with a sense of mission. "I know I speak for many when I say that we
came away from that period vowing to never let our forces get to such a
point ever again." Through his efforts, and those of countless other
visionaries in and out of uniform, the hollow forces were transformed once
again into the finest fighting force in the world. Adm. Michael Mullen,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presided over the ceremony with
William J. Lynn, deputy secretary of defense. Notably absent were Secretary
of Defense Leon E. Panetta, whose former position as CIA director is Gen.
Petraeus' next assignment, and President Obama. Their non-appearance did not
sit well with some. "Obama should have been here," a warrior who served
under Gen. Petraeus told The Washington Times. "And he should have invited
[former President George W.] Bush. The general saved their bacon. Twice.
"Everyone has forgotten that in 2007 we as a nation had said, 'OK, we are
going to lose Iraq .' And President Bush said, 'Well what if we win?'
Petraeus rode into town and assembled an extraordinary team. His personal
drive, his charisma, his optimism, his can-do spirit, all of that is what
gave us hope that we could in fact turn Iraq around," our source explained.
"And by September of '07, the progress had been dramatic enough that it
became common knowledge to the American people that things were turning
around in Iraq . Eight months earlier, a lot of people, including Obama,
wanted to tuck tail and have another Vietnam ."
That's not all. "Here is the guy who saved our reputation as a nation.
Seriously, who's missing this? And then he went to [Central Command] and was
doing great things. And Obama asked him to take a functional demotion and go
back to Afghanistan and save our bacon again," we were told. "To leave his
family, to step down from a regional command, to take on that burden. And he
said yes, and he did it. Petraeus was the right guy at the right time, he
answered the call, and now he's being yanked out before we're ready, just
like the troops are being yanked out before Afghanistan is ready."
So what's the reason for the White House about-face? "They are sending him
to the CIA to keep him quiet during the 2012 election. It shows how small
and scared they are. He is an honorable man, he has never expressed
political ambition. But they saw him as a threat. He is an independent
thinker, the finest military mind of his generation," our source posits.
"What he suffers from is that he is more excellent than almost anyone he
meets, to include the president. The troops love him. Strong people surround
themselves with the most excellent people they can find, even those brighter
and more capable than themselves. Weak people don't."
There is a shameful indignity in how this hero was treated. "The president
couldn't find the time in his schedule, nor could the [defense secretary]
find the time to look him in the eye and say thank you in person," this
warrior told The Washington Times. "It's one thing to say 'we support the
troops' and trot out your first lady to do that, but this is where it
counts. It would have been an appropriate gesture to come here to recognize
the professional and personal sacrifice of this extraordinary man. It would
have been the dignified thing to do."
The hero remained above it all. The cannons boomed and the crowd cheered and
Gen. Petraeus stood smiling in the sun.
Copyright 2011 The Washington Times, LLC.
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