Petraeus leaving Army after 37 years to head CIA

[Roland99]

Source: AP (via Yahoo)

America's best-known general is taking off his uniform before starting a new chapter as the 20th director of the CIA next week, where he will keep waging war on al-Qaida and other terrorist groups, but in a far different form.

The soldier-scholar-statesman is to be sworn in as the nation's spy chief on Sept. 6, less than a week before the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

It's a sharp and unexpected career turn for the man many thought would ultimately become the top officer in the land — chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — after six command assignments, including four in war zones. He is credited with turning around the Iraq war and helping pivot the still uncertain campaign in Afghanistan.

Instead, President Barack Obama asked him to take over at CIA as part of a major shuffle of top national security officials that included Leon Panetta moving from CIA director to succeed the retiring Robert Gates at the Pentagon.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/petraeus-leaving-army-37-years-head-cia-071244373.html

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wow....just...wow.

[Arctic Dave]

1. CHANGE!!1!1!

:puke:

[LeFleur1]

2. The General?

Will he be the newest Republican candidate?

[rurallib]

11. I always thought he was gearing up for '16 or '20

[Scuba]

3. Couldn't, just once, a Peace Activist have a role?

[Chef Eric]

4. Well, thank God he's been there to "pivot."

"Pivot"? What the fuck? I didn't realize the war was a fucking basketball game.

[Nihil]

14. "Pivot" as in "spin" ...

... and that guy *knows* how to spin ...

[Yon_Yonson]

5. The war monger gets another war monger job .... how quaint!

That means he’s a Socialist right? Both the military & CIA Spooks are tax payer funded!

:wtf:

[EFerrari]

6. Where his corruption will be appreciated, no doubt.

[Maine_Nurse]

7. I think he's a pretty good choice, as choices go for that type of position.nt

[Yon_Yonson]

9. Another peddler of war will continue his black trade with the spooks of the world.

[Maine_Nurse]

15. Well, the position is going to be filled by someone...

and I'd prefer someone with plenty of experience in what it is like to be there in the shit, to see the death and carnage first hand, and to lose troops. Beats the hell outta some useless suit that doesn't know shit and thinks of soldiers/agents as abstract things.

[Bryn]

8. Ugh! I thought CIA was taken down long time ago.

Right? x(

[russspeakeasy]

10. 36 years too late...

:evilfrown:

[Octafish]

12. War Toads

The Checkered Career of Michael Morell

The Rise of Another CIA Yes Man

by RAY McGOVERN
CounterPunch
August 30, 2011

As Gen. David Petraeus prepares to take the helm at CIA in September, he can expect unswerving loyalty from his likely deputy, Michael Morell, who has been acting director since July when Leon Panetta left to become Secretary of Defense.

Like many senior CIA officials in recent years, Morell’s record is checkered, at best. He held key jobs in intelligence analysis over the past decade as the CIA often served as a handmaiden to the war propagandists.

As for Michael Morell, as with many other successful CIA careerists, his strongest suit seemed to be pleasing his boss and not antagonizing the White House. If past is precedent, his loyalty will be to Petraeus, not necessarily to the truth.

Forgive me if my thinking about loyalty to the facts seems “obsolete” or “quaint” – or if it seems unfair to expect CIA analysts to put their careers on the line when politicians and ideologues are misleading the nation to war – but those were the principles that analysts of my generation tried to uphold.

CONTINUED...

http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/08/30/the-rise-of-another-cia-yes-man/

[7wo7rees]

13. Good catch.

DU can trust Ray McGovern. I've met him personally.

[TheMadMonk]

16. Keeping it in the family. /nt