Oh, and chickenshit for dessert.
A synapse triggered a sense of déjà vu when I read Gareth Porter's account (diaried by Meteor Blades) of the tensions between Admiral William Fallon, Commander of CENTCOM, and "surge"-in-Iraq commander General David Petraeus. Admiral Fallon reportedly was so put off by General Petraeus' sycophantic manner at their first meeting that he derided Petraeus to his face as an “ass-kissing little chickenshit.”
Whether or not Porter's sources at the Pentagon relayed with perfect accuracy the dialogue, the story reminded all of us of real “ass-kissing little chickenshits” that we have encountered in our workplaces and at social venues.
The relevant memory that Porter's story dredged up for me came from a dinner party that I attended not long ago. At that dinner party the “ass-kissing little chickenshit” was a senior State Department official who works on the Middle East, including Iraq--Near Eastern Affairs in State Department jargon.
Follow me below the break as I recall a portion of the dinner conversation. I think that it laid bare a small slice of reality that merits some reflection.
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