A salient point from the Petraeus hearings…
i missed this the other day because i was revelling in the “it’s all about me” of “it’s my birthday,” but Richard Engel (heart starts beating faster), NBC’s longtime Iraq correspondent, made a salient point to Brian Williams the other night:
Overwhelmingly, I came away with the impression that it was somewhat frustrating and disheartening that the rules of the game have changed. For years, military commanders have said that once conditions on the ground improve then troops can start to pull back.
Today, Gen. Petraeus said conditions on the ground have improved, but you know what? The troops have to stay. I think if I was the mother or father of the one of the soldiers serving in Iraq, I would be proud because he said they’ve achieved tremendous successes; I would also be upset that if I listened to him would say they have to stay will in order to maintain that success.
the goals keep on changing, the rules keep on changing…if violence is up, the “surge” has worked, if violence is down, the “surge” has worked. it’s all Bush administration bullroar, and January 2009 can’t come fast enough.
also, my love affair with Richard Engel continues…why do i have the sneaking suspicion he’s on my team? this doesn’t affect my love affairs with Matt Lauer or Anderson Cooper, so don’t worry, boys, i have enough room in my heart for MANY newsmen/correspondents/pundits…
Think Progress has the video.
April 12, 2008 at 11:04 am
it’s cool – us straight guys have robin meade.
and literally thousands of others to look at as well…
but none as special as robin meade.
April 12, 2008 at 11:14 am
Can I confess a man crush as well?
April 12, 2008 at 11:24 am
absolutely.
all mancrushes/bromances are protected/supported/discreetly cloaked here.
April 12, 2008 at 11:25 am
and, Adam, i don’t know who Robin Meade is, but if i should have a boner about him, i’d like to know about it.
April 12, 2008 at 11:39 am
no, no, no…
robin meade is my early morning cup of temptation on cnn…
google image her.
meow.
April 12, 2008 at 11:43 am
boo woman. woman made for knitting. woman taint between two predictable points.
surprises better.
April 12, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Adam everyone has a man crush…
For instance my man crushes usually involve men who can do amazing athletic things. My short list.
Micheal Jordan
Derek Jeter
Nomar Garciaparra
etc…
Now I’m not gay, I’m happily married (10 years) and I love women (my wife exclusively) but if any of those guys called me up and wanted to go out on a date I would oblige and my wife would encourage it.
Keep this on the D.L. Evan! LOL
April 12, 2008 at 1:31 pm
For the record I knew who Robin Meade is.
Adam you probably saw this before but I think it’s hilarious!
April 12, 2008 at 6:18 pm
i’m sure Adam has riveting stories about his various man-crushes, and all the romantic pictures they take together and whatnot, and it’s funny because i’m the gay one…
April 12, 2008 at 7:17 pm
chris – i’m in the navy, bro. i’m aware of man crushes (i even know all my best friends’ man crushes – once you’ve been out at sea for a while, you run out of new material to discuss). mine involve writing and music usually…
irvine welsh & trent reznor come to mind
April 13, 2008 at 4:52 am
Trent Reznor? Back when I was in a different, much much different period of life, I completely idolized him. NIN was my favorite band as a teenager. We always joked (friends and I, who were equally as obsessed) that we’d totally go gay for that guy.
Since we’re sharing….
LOL
Joe
April 13, 2008 at 4:03 pm
because Trent Reznor hot.
April 13, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Well yeah, that’s the implication at least.
It was probably his voice though. I’m not physically attracted to guys.
LOL
Joe
April 13, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Still, a guy can tell when a guy is hot. Any guy who denies this is full of horse dookie. You know. You just do.
Joe
April 13, 2008 at 9:41 pm
yep.
i have the inverse going on…i recognize hot women all the time, and i even have “woman-crushes.” (Kate Walsh, especially in those Cadillac commercials…)
but i have no desire to do anything remotely naughty with her. i just want her to be my friend, so we can go places and be hot together.
April 13, 2008 at 10:06 pm
“go places and be hot together”
Which benefits you….how?
=)
Joe
April 13, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Wouldn’t that hurt your efforts to pick up other gay guys? Them seeing you with a gal? And a smokin hot gal, at that?
I don’t know how it works…=)~
April 13, 2008 at 10:15 pm
oh, not at all, because:
A. she’s a hot celebrity, who used to be on a show with
B. T.R. Knight and Patrick Dempsey, which means that she also
C. knows T.R. Knight and Patrick Dempsey, and also the other one…Alex Karev…yeah. wow. and, um…
D. now she’s on the spin-off show, which is also awesome, which stars Taye Diggs and Audra McDonald, and the gays like us some Taye Diggs, and
E. the end result is that Kate and i will have hot men of all varieties to fend off, and we can come up with an organized system of rejecting most of them, and then collecting the rest in neat bundles for our use later on.
and, in general, it’s always good for gay men to be friends with attractive women. i mean, some guys just have to have their fag hags, and i think that’s more out of mutual co-dependency issues/need for attention. i, personally, prefer women friends who have their own lives and don’t need me to fill their “male attention” needs.
haha, that’s so snotty. but i’m totally not kidding.