Via Andrew Sullivan comes this interview between Gen. William Odom and Hugh Hewitt. The entire thing is absolutely fascinating. I have to admit, I came away from this very enamored of Gen. Odom. His candor, obvious intelligence, and manner of speaking all reinforce for me the basic belief that (at least in regards to the armed services) the country is in good hands. If America is producing soldiers like this (including Gen. Petraeus, our current commander in Iraq), then at least we can consider their types to be a buffer to a President seemingly intent on displaying the size of his cojones (even if said cojones are in the process of being snipped).
Side note: Petraeus is an extremely intelligent and able commander with a real grasp of the techniques and strategies needed to fight an entrenched insurgency. He just so happens to be trapped in an unwinnable situation - on the home front trapped between the intense partisan bickering. And on the actual war front, at all costs he must maintain morale (i.e., not admit outright that we're failing) and balance that with the need to appear connected with the reality of the situation (i.e., recognize the fact that we're failing). We could have really used his abilities back in 2003-2005 (when his talents could have actually made a difference).
I almost forgot to mention this, in the linked interview check out Hewitt's final attempt to get in the last word. Check this out:
H: Last question, General, do you believe you could be wrong about all this?
WO: Of course.
HH: I thought…I knew as a professional you’d say that. Thank you for your time, General William Odom, and for your service.
WO: Okay, right. Bye.
End of interview.
Hewitt dribbles around..with time running out...he throws up a desperation fadeaway from halfcourt...and scores!! Final score: D.C Partisan Hacks - 3, Appeasing Freedom Haters - 0. That was a close one, I sure am glad that he just saved America.
Does he think this kind of "gotcha" moment is actually productive? Does he actually believe that his views could be wrong (especially after just getting those views skewered by an ACTUAL military officer)?
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