democracynow
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!"
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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.
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.”
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Petraeus calls on Congress to back White House on Syria
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
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