Petraeus Has Walkabout in Baghdad Market

[sabra]

Chris Hondros/Getty
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - JUNE 14: General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. military forces in Iraq (L), eats a pastry he bought on a walking tour of the Mutanabi Street bookmarket June 14, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq.


Chris Hondros/Getty
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - JUNE 14: General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. military forces in Iraq (L) and his translator (far L) watch a blonde, long-haired Iraqi boy while walking the Mutanabi Street bookmarket June 14, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq.


Chris Hondros/Getty
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - JUNE 14: General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. military forces in Iraq (center), walks with aides and security after a walking tour of the Mutanabi Street bookmarket June 14, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq.

[acmavm]

1. How many 'aides' is that surrounding you General?

What a bunch of phony shit.

[MADem]

2. Those aren't aides, that's a PSD.

A Personal Security Detachment.

And they look tense.

Understandably.

[acmavm]

13. I know. I was being sarcastic. I thought it was obvious.

[MADem]

17. No, I realized you were!

I just had to point out that they looked a little tense, is all....

And on edit--I do actually see an AIDE...third pic, the bozo towards the left, holding the case in his left hand!!!!!!!

[bullwinkle428]

3. Too bad the Iraqi citizens didn't have the option

of getting to wear 50 lbs. of body armor to protect themselves like Petraeus & crew...

[TwilightGardener]

4. I wonder which poor private had to "taste" that pastry for him first?

[rodeodance]

5. see to be the IN thing to do.

[TahitiNut]

6. This has been a custom of colonial occupiers for centuries.

Show the flag. A show of force. Sand Pebbles. This was common in the British Empire, from India to Shanghai.

The Imperial Legions show the savages their might. :puke:

[BOSSHOG]

7. The bottom picture

looks like congressman Mike Pence strolling through a vegetable market with his entourage and safety vest back home in Indiana. Ya can't see the helicopters in the picture. Ya can't tell the difference between Indiana and Baghdad according to mikey.

[EnviroBat]

8. Are these clowns ever gonna give it up with this staged B.S...?

[whistle]

9. PR photo op ... a few blocks away mayhem in the Baghdad streets

[Solly Mack]

10. yes..always a sign of normalcy to walk with so many armed guards

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. General is your nale McCain?

and this pandering to the press how well do you think its going

[americanstranger]

12. I'm wondering how many from that market

will be kidnapped and murdered by tomorrow morning. That seems to be what happens every time an American does one of these stupid walkabouts.

- as

[Hubert Flottz]

14. He's almost as brave as Fighting Joe Lieberman.

I'm really impressed...really I am...

Edit...make that DEpressed...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. It's been done before.

Paris in the '40s







With similar results.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. Is that dragon skin armor he's wearing?

[Javaman]

18. I just wish they would cut the bullshit. these little "strolls" are the

equivalent to setting up a stroll through a movie set.

the cordon off the block, they send in tact teams to make sure there are no booby traps, guns, "bad guys", or someone that might actually speak their mind, then they circle the place for a couple of hours in apache's, send in a huge force, then and only then (name your favorite buffoon) so and so marches through this "safe" area for a bite of an Iraqi donut, kiss a terrified kid and throw some "good will" at the soon-to-be-dead-for-being-seen-with-an-american-soldier civilian.

You know, there are some nuts out there that say that the moon landings were staged, yet no one seems to have a problem with this staged bullshit. Fuck, if the moon lander were staged they did a hell of a lot better job of that then these fucking tools are doing with this.