‘Some old soldier’ shares strategies
Retired Gen. David Petraeus had already discussed the past (his command in Iraq and Afghanistan) and the immediate future (suggested tactics for addressing the coronavirus), during our interview before the Ferguson Library audience, so I tossed him a question that was more personal, less grim.
“This is just my James Lipton-‘Actors Studio’ question for you. Just to get a sense of your ...”
As this was part of the “Civility in America” speaking series, the general interrupted in the most civil manner possible.
“I’m going to show my ignorance — who is James Lipton?”
Some members of the audience vocalized dismay that Petraeus, 67, was unfamiliar with the bearded host of “Inside the Actors Studio,” who died March 2 at age 93 (and happened to be a U.S. Air Force veteran).
For surely the only time in my life, I had to defend a four-star general and former Central Intelligence Agency director.
“Hey, the man was serving his country,” I playfully admonished the audience.
When our discussion ended, a friend walked over and observed — accurately — “That had to be the easiest interview you’ve ever done,” as Petraeus demonstrated his ability to speak at length on any given subject (save cable interviews with celluloid heroes).
Even Petraeus’ description of his current job is a mouthful: “Chairman in the KKR Global Institute, which does a geopolitical risk and then integrates the macroeconomic analysis and the environmental social governance issues analysis as we’re looking at investments around the world.”
Close your eyes and try to repeat any of that aloud.
Just before we started, I asked if there was anything specific he wanted to talk about, given that he was marking down notes I assumed were talking points. His only request was to have time to focus on lessons of the past two decades (and that I stick to one question at a time, unlike television commentators whose queries have more question marks than the Riddler).
His response to the post-9/11 question during the hour-long interview resulted in a five-point presentation he explained — efficiently — in nine minutes and 23 seconds.
Petraeus’ next question, from the audience, was a setting-appropriate inquiry about favored books. Once he settled on Bruce Catton’s “Grant Takes Command,” which he found “tremendously inspirational” during the “grinding” surge in Iraq, he spoke even longer, and more passionately, about Gen. Ulysses Grant. In 12 minutes, he offered insights into wars that took place 145 years apart.
I offered Petraeus two snippets of local history he had connections with.
Stamford’s James Sparrow, who served in the U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War, helped lead a grassroots crusade 40 years ago to successfully sue chemical companies that produced Agent Orange, the defoliant that profoundly compromised the health of many Vietnamese as well as soldiers.
In our pre-game interview, I drew a parallel to a modern equivalent Petraeus champions — assisting veterans suffering the effects from open-air burn pits used during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Some of the compounds being torched were also in Agent Orange.
He initially resisted, fearing the subject might not engage an unfamiliar audience. I reminded him that there was a time Americans hadn’t heard of Agent Orange. He shared that the herbicide may have contributed to his father-in-law’s Parkinson’s disease, and the deterioration of a man he called “my greatest mentor,” Gen. Jack Galvin.
“To watch his brilliant mind trapped in an increasingly incapable body was extraordinarily painful and brutal,” Petraeus said.
When I mentioned a second local link, that former U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman had grown up within a mile of where we were standing, he replied “I would love to talk about Joe Lieberman.”
When the time came, he got my attention with his opening word: “Gosh.” The only other person I can recall actually saying “gosh” in conversation is ... Joe Lieberman.
Lieberman was one of “The Three Amigos” (which was coined by Petraeus) — along with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., — who clashed with their parties over their hawkish foreign policy views. Petraeus attributed Lieberman’s Democratic primary loss to upstart Ned Lamont in 2006 to “the enterprise in which I was engaged — Iraq.”
“Joe Lieberman in my view is a hero,” Petraeus said. “He truly is an extraordinary American. Talk about somebody who treats people with dignity and respect — he is the epitome of that.”
Throughout the presentation, Petraeus was appropriately civil, noting his respect for the Fourth Estate (“thank you for agreeing to do this without enhanced interrogation techniques”) and the inherent contradiction of a master of war addressing civility.
But in the face of a historic pandemic, the general kept returning to concerns over the people who have no parachute for the days ahead. Those in the gig economy are in great peril, he fears. A payroll tax break would only help workers on a payroll.
He sounded committed to avoiding the “greatest fear” Henry Kissinger once revealed to him in a private moment: “Irrelevance.” So future missions will maintain his perennial pursuit of “intellectual stimulation.”
“I mean, why in the world would all these people be here risking coronavirus to hear some old soldier?” he asked the crowd.
Preregistration was at capacity, but I was stunned they showed up Tuesday evening. I was even a little surprised Petraeus arrived 24 hours after a similar event in Washington, D.C., was canceled. I couldn’t shake the vibe that we were sneaking something in before everything changed.
When it ended, he reached over to shake hands. I knew it was the last time either of us would do that for a while. We’re now in a different war, and civility will matter.