General Petraeus Grades Himself
I would have done much better in college if I had been able to grade myself. In fact I would have aced every test and graduated Magna Cum Laude. I may not have learned much though. If I had been able to grade myself, I would have spent even more time at the bars and even less time in the library.
It makes no sense to allow someone to grade their own performance. That’s why the breathlessly hyped testimony of General Petraeus before Congress was such a farce. General Petreaus has been tasked with making the military “surge” in Iraq work. What is he supposed to say: I’m doing a lousy job and need to be fired?
An independent evaluation of US progress in Iraq is of much greater value. Based on the recent GAO report to Congress, we’re not faring very well. But as usual, the mass media outlets aren’t looking for an impartial assessment of the situation. They’re looking for drama. They figured they would get more fireworks from the General’s testimony than they would from some unknown accountant citing verifiable facts and figures.
General Petraeus, Iraq, Iraq War, Petraeus testimony, GAO report
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