MoveOn's Bad Move

Gosh, thanks for elevating the discussion. Instead of making the focus of Petraeus' 'report' the facts and the spin coming out of the White House, the opening remarks showcased what a bunch of crybaby losers the anti-war types are. Conservative talk-radio hosts had a field day, denouncing the ad as calling Petraeus a traitor to his face (even though the word 'traitor' was not used).

No, the downcheck for the report should come from the answers that were or were not given, not from cheap ad hominem attacks.

For example, when Senator John Warner asked General Petraeus if our efforts in Iraq had made America safer, the General paused to consider, then answered:

"I believe this is indeed the best course of action to achieve our objectives in Iraq."

A non-answer which didn't go by unnoticed. Warner repeated the question, and Petraeus admitted, "I don't know, really. I haven't sat down and sorted in my own mind."

There's also a lot of finger-pointing and 'blame Iran' going on, not the least from Senator Joe Lieberman, who out-and-out accused Iran of providing EFPs (Explosively Formed Projectiles) � an allegation that has not been proven. (EFPs are used to take out the armored vehicles that our troops don't have, because the Pentagon can't get their thumbs out.)

The disparity of pushing for a new war in the midst of a hearing about the progress of an ongoing war is astounding, but it seems to be the elephant in the corner.

And the media is still going 'oooh, ahhh' over promises of troop reductions without noting several things:

- A reduction will be necessary by April 2008 as troops reach the end of another deployment cycle and other voices in the command chain express concerns about 'breaking' the Army.

- The 30,000 troops comprise slightly more than we fielded in 'the surge,' and only 20% of the current total. (They've also been promised before, back in April of 2006.)

- Any reduction in force is contingent upon an 'improving security situation.' As the Iraqi government continues to drag its heels, this seems less likely ... especially if Iran is being painted as a looming threat. (Iran either has to 'ratchet things up,' as FOX News' Brit Hume suggested in a leading question to Petraeus & Crocker, or a cause for war must be established independent of Iraq.)

Much ballyhoo about a bill before Governor Schwarzenegger that would forbid teenage drivers from using their cell-phones while driving.

How, exactly, are you going to enforce that?

And San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly, tried once more to ban the Navy's Blue Angels precision flight team from performing over the city during Fleet Week in October.

This time, he revised his measure to allow flight over the water, but not over populated areas.

Daly maintains his primary concern is safety, citing an April crash that killed eight people and damaged several homes in Beaufort, South Carolina. (Daly's fallback position is concern about the noise, and the trauma it might cause pets and disabled veterans who suffer from PTSD.)

The cause of that crash? The pilot clipped a pine tree during a sharp turn.

And prior to that, the last crash involving a member of the Blue Angels was in 1999 during a practice session. In the 60-year history of the team, there have only been 26 fatalities.

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