AT FIRST...

I thought Cornel West was completely out of bounds for calling Pres. Obama a "Republican In Blackface" until Atrios linked to this story about Petraeus:

Prominent members of conservative, Washington-based defense think tanks were given permanent office space at his headquarters and access to military aircraft to tour the battlefield. They provided advice to field commanders that sometimes conflicted with orders the commanders were getting from their immediate bosses.

These people should NEVER be allowed anywhere near powerful people and brings to mind Petraeus' shaky op-ed in 2004.