Scott talks with Daniel Davis about David Petraeus’s latest attempt to rewrite the history of the war in Afghanistan. Davis knows firsthand how the war actually played out back when Petraeus was in charge because his job required him to travel all over the country. The mismatch between what he witnessed and how it was all being presented to the American people convinced him to break rank and go public. In this interview, he debunks the claim that the war in Afghanistan could have been won, and he rips the media for continuing to listen to men like Petraeus, whose history of lying about the war is not even controversial.
Discussed on the show:
- “David Petraeus Is Wrong” (19fortyfive)
- “Go Big or Go Deep” — Davis’s 2009 Report
- Blunt Vietnam Vet Marine Tells You Exactly What Happened To Him
- “The Afghanistan Papers” (Washington Post)
- “Afghanistan Did Not Have to Turn Out This Way” (The Atlantic)
Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He is a Senior Fellow at Defense Priorities and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1.
This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.
Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.
Scott Horton is director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, host of Antiwar Radio on Pacifica, 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles, California and podcasts the Scott Horton Show from this website. He’s the author of the 2017 book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. Visit https://scotthorton.org