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        <title>Comments for Why You Won&apos;t See Petraeus Lauded in the American Press</title>
        <description>We&apos;re the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost.  All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT,  and KA 2003-2010</description>
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            <title>Why You Won&apos;t See Petraeus Lauded in the American Press</title>
            <description><![CDATA[The London Times has carried a number of impressive articles lately outlining the defeat of Al Qaeda in Mosul along with several laudatory articles and opinion pieces on Gen. Petraeus.&nbsp; Maliki has even recently proclaimed that terrorism is defeated (though some would argue premature and should have various conditional statements added in about regeneration, etc, Maliki's government is definitely stronger, but still liable to revert to pre-surge stability without support).

But, you will not see those in the American press, on American TV or anywhere near where an American might actually read that and think &quot;victory&quot;.&nbsp; The main reason is that the political campaigning has taken center stage.&nbsp; That is not to say that all eyes are on the campaigns and Iraq has disappeared for that reason alone, but it is part of the original plot that started sometime last September when the major news stations and media outlets started reducing their coverage of Iraq (and don't even mention Afghanistan).&nbsp; Ostensibly because there was not enough blood and guts anymore to lead.&nbsp; 

Of course, there is that whole &quot;the economy is taking center stage&quot; argument, too.&nbsp; 

I just have a few issues with that.&nbsp; Winning wars typically leads to optimism, even after suffering severe economic distress.&nbsp; That optimism usually leads to economic optimism.&nbsp; We could argue that the oil and gas prices crash that on take off, but there are several pressure releases that will come, though apparently not soon enough for some.&nbsp; 

China started filling its third oil reseve in December of 2007, having started filling it January 2007.&nbsp; That reserve is to reach 100 million (30 day supply).&nbsp; They estimate that the fourth reserve will be complete by the end of 2008.&nbsp; Iraq has recently improved its output by over 500,000/bbd and is estimated to reach 4 mil/bbd or higher by 2010.&nbsp; Let's not forget Brazil's big find.&nbsp; Odds are, the economy is going to be recovering just fine.&nbsp; But, hey, don't tell anyone.&nbsp; We like to pretend we're living 1929.

The other issue is &quot;perceived wisdom&quot;.&nbsp; It is so perceived, in fact, that John Kerry pops out of the wood work and starts spouting off talking points from his 2004 campaign.&nbsp; No one has bothered to tell him its 2008 and nothing he has said or done is going to change that fact nor the fact that he still doesn't know what he's talking about.

Still, there may be something more driving the need to keep Petraeus off the front pages and a large number folks breathing a sigh of relief that he actually took the CentCom job.&nbsp; Somewhere, in the deep recesses of the media, is a continuing irrational fear of militarism in America.&nbsp; Considerably fueled by all sorts of movies and books on the subject (regardless that we have had victorious generals come home and disappear or have been elected to the presidency without any sort of military coup or revolution.&nbsp; George Washington comes to mind as the first, but not the last.&nbsp; 

What the paranoid may feel is that this and this equals this:
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/07/why_you_wont_se.html</link>
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            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:32:55 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from R Jewell on 2008-07-07</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[<blockquote>
&quot;a large number folks breathing a sigh of relief that he actually took the CentCom job.&quot;<br />
&nbsp;
</blockquote>The day the announcement was made at Centcom HQ that Fallon was out and Patreaus was in......a cheer began at one end of the building&nbsp;and carried throughout.........it was a hushed cheer, under the circumstances, but a cheer none the less.]]>
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/07/why_you_wont_se.html#comment-75070</link>
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            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:33:41 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from fdcol63 on 2008-07-07</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[It's simple:&nbsp; Any positive news about Patraeus and the success of the Surge helps McCain because he advocated and supported this change in strategy, whereas Obama and the Dems ridiculed and opposed it, and would have prematurely withdrawn from Iraq leaving us with another terrorist haven like pre-9/11 Afghanistan.<br />
<br />
The media and the Dems understand full well that their best strategy is to take advantage of the economic downturn and high fuel prices.<br />
<br />
However, they'll never acknowledge that Dems like Dodd and Conrad were complicit in fueling part of this sub-prime mortgage mess, nor will they acknowledge the Dems' complicity in squashing increased domestic oil production,&nbsp;refining capacity, wind farm development, or nuclear plant construction.<br />
<br />
And they'll never acknowledge that oil prices are&nbsp;skyrocketing due to increased demand from China and India, nor will they acknowledge that these countries and others are currently exacerbating the supply shortage even more by stockpiling oil inventories into strategic reserves in anticipation of the&nbsp;approaching clash with Iran.]]>
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/07/why_you_wont_se.html#comment-75065</link>
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            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:56:40 -0600</pubDate>
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