FSP-Microcosm News-Global Community Report: Protesters Confront Petraeus on His 1st Day of Class at CUNY

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Protesters Confront Petraeus on His 1st Day of Class at CUNY

Published on Sep 10, 2013

http://www.democracynow.org - Former CIA director David Petraeus has begun his post as a visiting professor at the City University of New York. Petraeus directed troops in Iraq and Afghanistan before leading the CIA until an extramarital affair forced him to resign last year. Protesters confronted Petraeus on his first day of class. Protesters followed him down the street, chanting: "War criminal! Petraeus out of CUNY! Petraeus out of CUNY!"

*********************************************************

NYDailyNews

Former CIA Chief David Petraeus comes out in favor of military action in Syria

David Petraeus pressed Congress to support President Barack Obama’s push for a military strike on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The retired general said that a strike was ‘necessary’ to deter the future use of chemical weapons and to send a message to Iran and North Korea.

By Carol Kuruvilla / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Saturday, September 7, 2013, 6:12 PM

Reed Saxon/AP/AP

David Patraeus called on Congress to support the White House’s plan for a strike that would punish the Syrian regime.

Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus has stepped out in favor of a military intervention that would punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime for allegedly using chemical weapons against its own people.
In a brief statement released to Politico, Petraeus encouraged Congress to support President Barack Obama’s calls to use limited force in Syria, saying that it was “necessary” to deter future use of chemical weapons and to make sure countries like Iran and North Korea “never underestimate” the United States’ resolve to use military action when “other tools prove insufficient.”

MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA

Protestors hold a sign while demonstrating against a possible U.S. strike on Syria outside the White House. The Obama administration is lobbying Congress to back a limited strike on Syria, saying that they want to degrade Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's delivery systems after he apparently carried out a sarin gas attack on 21 August that killed more than 1,400 people.

RELATED: PETRAEUS APOLOGIZES FOR AFFAIR IN FIRST SPEECH SINCE RESIGNING
“I strongly support congressional approval of President Obama’s request for authority to undertake military action against the Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad,” Petraeus said on Saturday. “Failure of Congress to approve the president’s request would have serious ramifications not just in the Mideast but around the world.”

Read More Here

*********************************************************

POLITICO

Petraeus calls on Congress to back White House on Syria

A Free Syrian Army fighter holding his weapon is pictured through a hole in the wall in the old city of Aleppo, Sept. 3. | Reuters

Play Slideshow

By MIKE ALLEN and JENNIFER EPSTEIN | 9/7/13 3:52 PM EDT Updated: 9/7/13 6:22 PM EDT

Retired Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, former CIA director under President Barack Obama, called strongly Saturday for Congress to back the White House on Syria, declaring that military action against the regime is “necessary” to deter “Iran, North Korea and other would-be aggressors.”
“Failure of Congress to approve the president’s request would have serious ramifications not just in the Mideast but around the world,” Petraeus said in a four-sentence statement provided to POLITICO.

With Congress set to return from summer break on Monday, Obama’s request is in trouble in the Senate and on a path to an embarrassing loss in the House. He will sit for interviews Monday with six TV networks as he makes his case for military intervention in Syria ahead of an address to the nation on Tuesday.

(Also on POLITICO: Undecided Dems key to Syria decision)
In his years as U.S. commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, Petraeus was regarded by many Republican lawmakers as a god on military matters.
So the imprimatur of the former four-star general could help Obama woo skeptical Republicans, many of whom say their districts are overwhelmingly opposed to intervention. The Petraeus statement follows endorsements of Obama’s measure this week by Hillary Clinton, his first secretary of State; and Robert M. Gates, his first secretary of defense and a holdover from President George W. Bush.

Read More Here

*********************************************************