Gen. David Petraeus Media Blitz Planned
With popular support for America's involvement in the war in Afghanistan at a record low, word comes that Gen. David Petraeus will launch a media blitz to shore up public confidence in the war over which he recently assumed command.
On Sunday, NBC 'Meet the Press' host David Gregory announced that he would be traveling to Afghanistan this week to conduct an exclusive interview with Petraeus, discussing "military strategy and the overall outlook for the nearly 9 year war." But that's just the beginning.
PoliticoPubs's Allen Mike reported on Monday:
"General Petraeus is no fool. He's more than aware that an increasing number of American citizens and taxpayers are growing more cool towards the notion that their sons and daughters will be sent into the meatgrinder otherwise known as Afghanistan where they can then be set up as easy targets for Islamic militants and others who stay pretty pissed off at the American invasion of their homeland."
The General's new strategy is simple and straightforward.
Smile a lot more at the cameras instead of using the time-honored military 'straight, grim face' and no longer give into the dire forecasts and complaints of the hippie-stream media.
With a wry grin and a raise of his whiskey glass to reporters, Petraeus quipped, "Time in Afghanistan is not a bad thing. Rather, it's a chance to 'see the world' (or at least the world located directly east of Iran and directly north of Pakistan) while earning tuition money for college in the event you are fortunate enough to return home with all your body parts intact!"
The General - long known for his wry humor and prank-filled behavior both in high school and then later at West Point - chuckled when asked by PPub reporters if it was fair to scam military recruits with propoganda-style movies like Saving Private Ryan and The Green Berets.
"Look here. I think they all know we're not going back to the days of actually responding to declarations of war from other countries. And we certainly don't want them smoking as many tobacco cigarettes as that John Wayne. That stuff can kill ya!
"But you gotta admit that seeing the looks on their faces is a real side-splitter when you recruit them to "defend America's freedoms" and then their first assignment is to go and build a Christian church in the mountains of a heavily-Islamic country where pretty much everyone wants to shoot them."
"It's a lot more intense than those Playstation games they ran during their last three years as teenagers."
(the following paragraph is actual non-fictional reality reporting):
This week, Petraeus will begin communicating with the Afghan people. Then after "Meet," the general will do the BBC later that week. The following week, Petraeus has sit-downs with "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric, then Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, who's returning from breast-cancer treatment. At month's end, George Stephanopoulos will take "Good Morning America" on the road to see the general. Major U.S. and European print and radio outlets will be sprinkled in. Then in the weeks that follow, the general plans to keep up a strong battle rhythm of engaging with the media and making his case.
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Bar: Yeah, baby! Because I think we've all learned since the Vietnam conflict back in the 1960s that the first line of defending the absolutely useless sacrifice of American men and women in a fruitless overseas war is to "convince the media" how noble it is.
If I were a cynic, I might actually worry that this here MediaBlitz by Gen Petraeus was more about propping his future book sales than it was "winning" (hahahahaha) the Forever War.
With popular support for America's involvement in the war in Afghanistan at a record low, word comes that Gen. David Petraeus will launch a media blitz to shore up public confidence in the war over which he recently assumed command.
On Sunday, NBC 'Meet the Press' host David Gregory announced that he would be traveling to Afghanistan this week to conduct an exclusive interview with Petraeus, discussing "military strategy and the overall outlook for the nearly 9 year war." But that's just the beginning.
PoliticoPubs's Allen Mike reported on Monday:
"General Petraeus is no fool. He's more than aware that an increasing number of American citizens and taxpayers are growing more cool towards the notion that their sons and daughters will be sent into the meatgrinder otherwise known as Afghanistan where they can then be set up as easy targets for Islamic militants and others who stay pretty pissed off at the American invasion of their homeland."
The General's new strategy is simple and straightforward.
Smile a lot more at the cameras instead of using the time-honored military 'straight, grim face' and no longer give into the dire forecasts and complaints of the hippie-stream media.
With a wry grin and a raise of his whiskey glass to reporters, Petraeus quipped, "Time in Afghanistan is not a bad thing. Rather, it's a chance to 'see the world' (or at least the world located directly east of Iran and directly north of Pakistan) while earning tuition money for college in the event you are fortunate enough to return home with all your body parts intact!"
The General - long known for his wry humor and prank-filled behavior both in high school and then later at West Point - chuckled when asked by PPub reporters if it was fair to scam military recruits with propoganda-style movies like Saving Private Ryan and The Green Berets.
"Look here. I think they all know we're not going back to the days of actually responding to declarations of war from other countries. And we certainly don't want them smoking as many tobacco cigarettes as that John Wayne. That stuff can kill ya!
"But you gotta admit that seeing the looks on their faces is a real side-splitter when you recruit them to "defend America's freedoms" and then their first assignment is to go and build a Christian church in the mountains of a heavily-Islamic country where pretty much everyone wants to shoot them."
"It's a lot more intense than those Playstation games they ran during their last three years as teenagers."
(the following paragraph is actual non-fictional reality reporting):
This week, Petraeus will begin communicating with the Afghan people. Then after "Meet," the general will do the BBC later that week. The following week, Petraeus has sit-downs with "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric, then Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, who's returning from breast-cancer treatment. At month's end, George Stephanopoulos will take "Good Morning America" on the road to see the general. Major U.S. and European print and radio outlets will be sprinkled in. Then in the weeks that follow, the general plans to keep up a strong battle rhythm of engaging with the media and making his case.
====
Bar: Yeah, baby! Because I think we've all learned since the Vietnam conflict back in the 1960s that the first line of defending the absolutely useless sacrifice of American men and women in a fruitless overseas war is to "convince the media" how noble it is.
If I were a cynic, I might actually worry that this here MediaBlitz by Gen Petraeus was more about propping his future book sales than it was "winning" (hahahahaha) the Forever War.
