The Conservative Cave
Current Events => Politics => Topic started by: Chris_ on September 07, 2009, 08:39:42 PM
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Hope I didn't miss this elseware - From Politico, Gen. Petraeus has been mentioned as a possible Republican Presidential candidate for 2012.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/26741.html
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He is one man I wouldn't mind seeing in office in a few years
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I saw Sen Bob Dole was on one of yesterday morning's talk shows (Meet the Press?) and he was asked about it. He apparently had mentioned it a few days previously.
He was asked why he suggested the General....he said he didn't know what the man's politics were, but he seemed very logical, thought about what he did/does, and was a good man...so why not?
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We could use someone with PROVEN & TESTED Leadership qualities. We haven't seen one of those since Eisenhower.
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We could use someone with PROVEN & TESTED Leadership qualities. We haven't seen one of those since Eisenhower.
Eisenhower wasn't exactly the greatest pres though.
I remember running a comparison on Presidents who held a Generals rank, against presidential ratings, and none of them where really considered that "good".
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My guess is that his next job will either be Chief Of Staff of the Army or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
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Eisenhower wasn't exactly the greatest pres though.
I remember running a comparison on Presidents who held a Generals rank, against presidential ratings, and none of them where really considered that "good".
Perhaps you should read this and reconsider your statement; http://voices.washingtonpost.com/behind-the-numbers/2007/07/approval_highs_and_lows.html
At his LOWEST, Eisenhower never reached beyond a 36% disapproval rating. Kennedy also had some pretty decent ratings, overall, but he didn't serve a full term in office, so there's some left to be discovered. What we do know about Kennedy is that he was a philanderer and a drug user.
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While I certainly respect the General, I would be wary at this point. Most conservatives have been lamenting the fact that we haven't had a prominent conservative emerge as a leader. At this point we don't know if he's left of McCain or right of him.
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One of my hobbies is studying Presidents. Years ago I took ratings from eight different sources including a popular opinion poll, and averaged them all. Going back and comparing from the list of presidents that were former Generals - from the what it's worth department, some I disagree with, but these are the results;
1. George Washington
2. Andrew Jackson
3. Dwight Eisenhower -- less than 1/2 a point seperated Jackson [10.73] and Eisenhower [11.08]
4. Rutherford B. Hayes
5. Benjamin Harrison
6. Zachery Taylor
7. Ulysses Grant
8. James Garfield
9. Franklin Pierce
10. William H. Harrison -- only President for 30 days and was ill the whole time.
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It's wise to be wary of ANY person who wants to become a politician. While there are some politicians who practice that trade because of the right reasons, there's yet another reason why Congress' disapproval rating stands at 62% with an approval rating of 31% Aug. 09 Gallup Poll. (http://www.gallup.com/poll/122399/Congress-Job-Approval-Ratings-Grow-Polarized.aspx) - it's called "nobody trusts the bastards in Washington - NONE of them".
All the same, Petraeus is a scholar. He graduated in the top 5% of his class at Hudson High. He has a Ph.D. in International Relations from Princeton. While that isn't a guarantee that he'd be a superior president, it does mean he's got the creds in that department.
He's also a tough bastard. From Wiki - he was shot in the chest in a live fire exercise and made a full recovery. He's a competitive runner and routinely smokes men half his age. Ranger School - distinguished honor grad.
He's a very smart guy. And physically tough.
For those reasons, I think he would want to stay the hell away from politics.