Will Petraeus Betray Us?

Prediction: When General David Petraeus speaks to Congress about the highly-touted "September Report," we will hear business as usual in Iraq - that some progress is being made, but there are continuing "terrorist threats" and if we leave, there will be an all-out Civil War and regional instability. Yawn.

To betray can be defined as being "unfaithful in guarding, maintaining, or fulfilling," and I don't really think General Petraeus is going to consciously be doing that. I don't know the man, but I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and I choose to believe that the US Army has men of character leading it. However, the same can NOT be said of the whitewashing Whitehouse. Our Executive Branch is currently staffed by men of no character. Every policy decision they make seems counter-intuitive. The lying about so many of their actions would be laughable, if it were not so depressing. Their tactics, while politically crafty, go against logic, history, and even sanity. They are the real betrayers.

Perhaps we'll experience a social epiphany, where people in the know will start putting the interests of the majority in their consciousness, and will realize that ideals without action are nothing more than imagination. Wouldn't it be something if General Petraeus stood up to political pressure and spoke truth to his real boss - the American People? Unfortunately, as I learned after 20 years in corporations, the truth will set you free (from employment). The leadership doesn't want truth, they want power, and power is achieved through profit. These same principles guide our government at the executive level. It's this elitist mentality that plagues America in the 21st century.

If the public knew all of the facts, we might be shocked at how morally corrupt the Bush administration truly is. I don't know why I think that is the case, but nonetheless, I do. And I'm no prophet, but I have studied history, and I can read people. Regardless of what General Petraeus reports, we will hear the same old rhetoric. Bush has hijacked our country, and won't be held accountable. At least in corporate America, a board of directors can out a corrupt or poorly performing CEO, but in our country, impeachment is our only option, and Congress doesn't have the stomach for it. They call that "gutless." I call it a betrayal.