GOOD ANALYSIS FROM PETRAEUS – AT 9:32 A.M. ET:  I'm glad to see that David Petraeus is being listened to again.  He made some serious personal errors of judgment that ended his career in government and the military, but there must be forgiveness for a man who wants to continue to serve, and has something to contribute.  After all, look at the way the left forgives Hillary and forgave Bill.  Oh, but that's a different story, isn't it?  From CNN:

Washington (CNN) One of America's top former generals compared the situation in Syria Tuesday to a historic nuclear disaster, implicitly criticizing the U.S. for allowing it to worsen, and accused Russia's President of trying to re-establish an empire.

Retired Gen. David Petraeus, testifying before the Senate Armed Service Committee, also recommended that the U.S. establish safe zones for Sunnis inside Syria and potentially put American boots on the grounds in Iraq to stop the spread of ISIS.

The former commanding general of U.S. forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan equated the situation in Syria today with one of the most deadly nuclear accidents in history.

Syria "is a geopolitical Chernobyl -- spewing instability and extremism over the region and the rest of the world," Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee, referencing the 1986 nuclear meltdown in the former Soviet Union. "Like a nuclear disaster, the fallout from the meltdown of Syria threatens to be with us for decades, and the longer it is permitted to continue, the more severe the damage will be."

Part of the solution to stabilizing the situation inside Syria would entail helping to protect large swaths of the Sunni population from bombing by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in order to bring in more willing partners to fight ISIS.

"They are not going to be willing to be supported by us if we're not going to support them when they're under attack by Bashar, as well as when they're under attack by ISIS (or) Jabhat al-Nusra," and other al Qaeda-sponsored groups in Syria, Petraeus said.

Barrel bombing by the al-Assad regime, rather than ISIS, "has been the primary source of civilian casualties; it has also been a principal driver of the radicalization fueling ISIS and the refugee crisis," he said.

Petraeus, who led the so-called surge in Iraq in 2007 that brought disenfranchised Sunnis into the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq, said Sunni involvement in both Iraq and Syria will be necessary to turn the tide against ISIS.

COMMENT:  Whether you agree or disagree, that is advice from a knowledgeable, experienced man, not the kind of clowns surrounding Field Marshal Obama and Grand Admiral Kerry.

I have always believed, by the way, that the government went after Petraeus so viciously not because of any offense he had committed – although he certainly had to pay a price – but in order to destroy him so he could not challenge Obama for the presidency in 2012.  That is my belief.  I cannot prove it, but it's entirely logical, considering the manner of the Obama administration.

September 23, 2015