15 December 2010

General Betrayus

Digby puts up an outstanding article on America's own Marcus Aurelius, the warrior-philosopher General Petraeus.

This passage, for me, stood out. This passage, for me, can stand for much of what is wrong with contemporary America:

Oddly, none of Petraeus’ decorations are for actions in combat. He never has seen combat; he never has been under fire.

A person makes it to the top of the military, an organization devoted to fighting, without ever having actually fought. What else can you bring to such a position, then, apart from an outsized ego and an ambition that finds no counterpart in actual talent?

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