Former Top U.S. Commander In Afghanistan Says The Country Is Disintegrating

Is the US making a mistake by leaving Afghanistan?

Fmr. Pres. Bush says yes; today, I asked Ret. Gen. David Petraeus, who commanded US & NATO troops there: pic.twitter.com/8swX0iobIB

— Fareed Zakaria (@FareedZakaria) July 18, 2021

Daily Mail: 'We will regret the decision to withdraw': David Petraeus slams Biden's 'hasty' troop pullout from Afghanistan as ex-commander predicts 'brutal civil war' with US gone 

* Retired General David Petraeus criticized Biden troop pullout from Afghanistan 

* Former commander of US forces in region says country on verge of 'civil war' 

* Biden has given deadline of August 31 for removal of all US troops from the area 

* Gen. Austin 'Scott' Miller returned to the United States on Wednesday 

* He was greeted by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs chair Mark Milley 

* He resigned his command of US and NATO forces at ceremony in Kabul Monday 

* The Taliban is making a resurgence as it capitalizes on US withdrawal of troops 

* It is reverting to fundamental roots as it makes huge advances 

* Insurgents ordered captured villagers to marry off daughters to foot soldiers 

The United States military’s former top commander in Afghanistan said President Joe Biden’s accelerated withdrawal of American forces has left the Central Asian country on the verge of a ‘brutal civil war.’ 

'The situation on the ground has become increasingly dire with each passing week,' Retired General David Petraeus told CNN on Sunday. 

 Read more ....  

Update #1: Retired U.S. general: Afghanistan is disintegrating (Politico)  

Update #2: Gen. Petraeus: U.S. may regret Biden’s full pullout from Afghanistan (OAN)  

WNU Editor: David Petraeus assessment on how technology is changing the battlefield and on how wars will be fought in the future is correct, especially in a conflict like Afghanistan .... 

 .... Petraeus said President Trump’s plan to keep 3,500 U.S. troops armed with drones in Afghanistan could have prevented the current situation. 

“…That’s what Gen. Miller was pioneering and it’s all made possible by the advent of this armada of drones, which we also used in Iraq and Syria where we didn’t fight on the front lines,” he explained. “We allowed the host nations forces to do that and we enabled them.” 

But this is now all moot. The Biden administration has chosen the get out ASAP policy, and Afghanistan will be reaping the whirlwind.

The Case Against Former CIA Director David Petraeus Is Getting Interesting (Updated)

Eli Lake, Bloomberg: Petraeus Caught in Obama's War on Leaks

WNU Editor: An interesting Bloomberg post from Eli Lake on how the White House treats reporters when it comes to state secrets .... and how they are given access to intel that they would normally not be given to. As to the impending charges against Petraeus .... my gut is telling me that there are going to be a few more surprises coming out of this case. But if he committed a crime and is charge and convicted ... even if he is war hero, there should be consequences.

More News On The David Petraeus Case

Holder: 'Highest levels' at DOJ to decide Petraeus fate -- USA Today
US attorney general remains tight-lipped about overseeing Petraeus investigation -- The Guardian/AP
Holder Says Decision on Petraeus Leak Allegations Not Yet Final -- Bloomberg
Holder mum on report Petraeus faces felony charges, as senators rally for the ex-CIA director -- FOX News
Holder: Decision on Petraeus to come from 'highest level' -- AP
Former Gen. David Petraeus Could Be Indicted -- People
Feinstein on Petraeus: 'It's done. It's over.' -- CNN
Feinstein on Petraeus: ‘This man has suffered enough’ -- Washington Post

David Petraeus' First Public Speech Since Resigning From The CIA

David Petraeus Apologizes for Affair in First Speech Since Resignation From CIA -- ABC News

David Petraeus apologized in front of an audience of about 600, who welcomed him with a standing ovation, for an extramarital affair with his biographer in his first public speech since resigning as the head of the CIA.

"Needless to say, I join you, keenly aware that I am regarded in a different light now than I was a year ago," Petraeus said Tuesday night to an audience of mostly veterans at the University of Southern California's annual ROTC dinner at a hotel in Los Angeles.

Read more ....

More News On David Petraeus' First Public Speech Since Resigning From The CIA

David Petraeus apologizes for conduct, affair -- AP
Ex-CIA director David Petraeus apologizes for affair in first public speech since resignation -- New York Daily News
Petraeus apologizes for affair that led to CIA resignation -- NBC
Ex CIA head says sorry in first speech since quitting -- AFP
Ex-CIA boss David Petraeus sorry for 'inflicting pain' -- BBC
Petraeus makes public apology for affair that led to resignation from CIA -- The Guardian
Petraeus Apologizes, Says Fall From Grace Was 'My Own Doing' -- NPR
David Petraeus: Sorry, affair ‘was my own doing’ -- Washington Times
The Rehabilitation of David Petraeus -- Fred Kaplan, Slate
Did David Petraeus drop hint about future plans in speech? -- Anna Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor
David Petraeus: the Public Relations Comeback Beginneth! -- Juli Weiner, Vanity Fair
Is Former CIA Director David Petraeus Living at the Cosmos Club? -- Carol Ross Joynt, Washingtonian
Petraeus apology for affair doesn't go far enough -- Robin Abcarian, L.A. Times

David Petraeus For President?

Caught on tape: David Petraeus was recorded during a conversation where he said that he would not run for president in 2012 and was hoping to be appointed the director of the CIA. Daily Mail

Fox News Chief’s Failed Attempt To Enlist Petraeus As Presidential Candidate -- Bob Woodward, Washington Post

Roger Ailes, the longtime Republican media guru, founder of Fox News and its current chairman, had some advice last year for then-Gen. David H. Petraeus.

So in spring 2011, Ailes asked a Fox News analyst headed to Afghanistan to pass on his thoughts to Petraeus, who was then the commander of U.S. and coalition forces there. Petraeus, Ailes advised, should turn down an expected offer from President Obama to become CIA director and accept nothing less than the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top military post. If Obama did not offer the Joint Chiefs post, Petraeus should resign from the military and run for president, Ailes suggested.

Read more ....

More News On FOX News Chairman Roger Ailes Attempt To Convince Gen. Petraeus To Run For President

Petraeus for president? -- DoD Buzz
Roger Ailes reportedly urged David Petraeus to run for president in 2011 -- The Guardian
Petraeus' allies at Fox News tried to persuade him to run for President... and promised that Rupert Murdoch would 'bankroll' the campaign -- Daily Mail
Petraeus Turned Down Fox News Presidential Run ‘Deal’ -- ABC News
Petraeus turned down Roger Ailes' offer to help launch presidential bid because of devotion to wife: report -- New York Daily News
Fox News chief urged Petraeus to run for president -- CBS News
Fox News chief suggested Petraeus run for president -- AFP
Roger Ailes Tried To Get David Petraeus To Run For President: Bob Woodward -- Huffington Post
Petraeus: 'I Love Roger Ailes' -- Newser
Secret Tape: Ailes Tried to Entice Petraeus to Run -- Howard Kurtz, Daily Beast
Roger Ailes Tried to Get David Petraeus to Run for President, as a 'Joke' -- Atlantic Wire

My Comment: I am "rolling" my eyes on this story.

Update: My Petraeus interview firestorm silly, off-base -- K.T. McFarland, FOX News

An Interview With David Petraeus

David Petraeus

‘No Victory Dances’ -- Newsweek

Gen. David Petraeus explains why vigilance is still needed in Iraq, and why Afghanistan in some ways is a bigger worry.

Gen. David Petraeus is due to relinquish his role as the commanding general in Iraq in mid-September, moving up to head CENTCOM, the U.S. military's Central Command, in overall charge of the conflicts in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He sat down for an hour and a half this week with NEWSWEEK's Rod Nordland, at the general's office in the American Embassy, in Saddam's old Republican Palace. Excerpts:

Read more ....

My Comment: He provides a very sober assessment of Afghanistan.

General David Petraeus And Robert Gates -- Two Of President Bush's Key Men

From Times Online:

General David H Petraeus: The General's Knowledge

Since the ‘warrior scholar’ David Petraeus led the American military surge in Iraq last year, the body count has plummeted. Will he go down in history as the man who won the war, or is it all too little too late?

General David H Petraeus, the commander of US forces in Iraq, looked exhausted. A competitive miler who loves to challenge young field commanders to five-mile running races and push-up contests (which he usually wins), he appears fit as ever. But there are dark circles under his eyes. Leading this war has begun to exact a visible toll.

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From Times Online:

Barack Obama May Recruit Defence Chief Robert Gates

In defiance of traditional party labels, Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, may ask the defence secretary of President George W Bush to stay on if he wins the White House.

Obama’s top foreign policy and national security advisers are pressing the case for keeping Robert Gates at the Pentagon after he won widespread praise for his performance. The move would be in keeping with Obama’s desire to appoint a cabinet of all the talents.

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My Comment: If the U.S. can have a hundred men and women like this at the top with the present forces on the ground .... no one will want to mess around the U.S. unless they were nuts.