Republican.
The scripted, lightweight banter on CNN with a chucking host and a jug-eared enlisted man chorus permits David Petraeus to reject again and again the expectation that he is a presidential candidate. "What about "No" don't you understand..." is his pop, over-practiced self-deprecating misdirection. Petraeus is a drab, monotone speaker: he is earnest, unemotional, apolitical in his remarks. He is a serving general in a subordinate command. He is fixed as a registered Republican in New Hampshire. Is he a candidate? My information is that the friends of Petraeus have been passing around pamphlets for his candidacy since at least '07. Petraeus is West Point '74, which means that he just turned 57. In 2016, he will be 64 years old, a not irregular age for a presidential candidate. About the consistent "No" that he likes to return when asked. The way to run for president is never to run for president -- Grant and Ike (below in Concord, New Hampshire) are still saying "No" behind the Pearly Gates -- until you are drafted from your surprisingly convenient Granite State address.
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The next U.S. president won’t be elected to that position because he has an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ after his name. Nor will he be elected because he can speak well and make lofty promises. He will not be elected because he’s black, or white, or green…
The next president of the U.S. will be elected on the strength of his resume and his character. And this is the way it should be. There should be no question as to his birth certificate or his allegiances. He will wear the stars and stripes lapel pin proudly and not waver between “Should I? Or, shouldn’t I?” Make no mistake, he will be a patriot.
He’ll take this broken nation as it is and will not further divide it. He will not deliberately demonize groups or industries to score cheap political points. He will have a plan for healing the nation and he will doggedly see it through.
His policies will not be poll-driven. He will not stick his moistened finger into the air to see which way the wind is blowing. He will understand his mandate and get it done. He won’t be shy to expose the feckless, the corrupt, the anti- American. He will stand with the people who can make this country great again. He will work tirelessly to clean up the messes left by the past three administrations.
I can see Petraeus as our next President – not in 2016, but much sooner.
http://peterkoelliker.blogspot.com/
He has the it factor, we are in Dire economic times. Has he ever discussed economic policy? Has he spoken about Iraq's economy?
Mondale was the epitome of front runner, never had a bullet-proof personality.
Chris Dodd, dead senator walking, got one delegate in Iowa after temporarily moving there and being on the Imus show every week. Spent millions in Wall St. lobbying money. Politicians cannot look to strident seeking the POTUS.
Patreaus is smart to let Palin and Huckabee be the front runners. Neither appear to have Gravitas. USMA, Princeton, Georgetown Degrees, he is the Anti-Palin intellectually. "Peaches" Patreaus could be the man. Obama ran a Nobel-peace-prize winning campaign on nothing but Hope and Change, never dived into dicey subjects like Abortion and Tax policy. The extremes on both left and right demand loyalty oaths to their causes; by not throwing his hat into the ring, he can avoid those sticky issues a very long time.
Writing a fluff book about growing up that will make emotional people weep, like Obama did, will get you on Larry king, GMA, Leno, Oprah, and O'Reilly.
The Surge worked in Iraq, will not work in Afghanistan, the Soviet Army proved that. I'm believing Afgh. will be an issue for decades with no way out. Did the General Retire knowing Afgh was a tar-pit?
Moveon.org's "betray-us" ad endeared the General to the Right. The General had to do nothing to defend or attack. The Surge was a success, move-on never apologized. Patreaus looks like Ike, and has better hair.
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid. "
-Dwight Eisenhower
In the next couple of years because the politicians have allowed trillions to be wasted, we have the first opportunity since 1952 to get rid of social security and return freedom to this country. This is job #1 of the next Republican president. We do not need another General screwing this up.
Petreaus has been a shrewd Doge defending the realm. He is an excellent leader of our warrior class, and we do need that warrior class to defend us right now. However, it is also a republic of free men. Our generals, like Eisenhower, often crave order as much as freedom. If you remove the issue of energy security, this nation's external threats are minuscule relative to the corrupt kleptocratic bureaucracy destroying this nation from w/in. Do folks understand we are using TARP funds to pay down the deficit? Or that we are loaning Goldman interest free money that they are loaning back to us at 3% so we can loan it back to them at no interest? If Petreaus is the man to ditch the entitlements and end this insanity, power to him. Otherwise, bring on Gault's Gulch and the Revolution.