Distracting "Distraction"

Admiral Fallon, who is basically in charge of the military from Afghanistan to Africa, is resigning after reports came out that he opposes Bush on his Middle East policies.

Adm. William J. Fallon, one of the most experienced officers in the U.S. military, said the reports were wrong but had become a distraction hampering his efforts in the Middle East.

Oh, please. Stories known to be true are distractions? If they are untrue, how are they distractions? How distracting is this distraction, and how does it distract? The media will really accept that as an answer?

Here's your real reason:

Gen. David Petraeus, who runs the Iraq war from Baghdad but is technically subordinate to Fallon, was known to have differences with Fallon over the timing and pace of drawing down U.S. troops from Iraq. Fallon has favored a faster pullback.

It's no secret that the higher-ups in the Navy do not like this administration. That they let someone like Fallon stay around as long has he did is rather surprising: these people don't like dissent, however well reasoned and right it may be.

Meanwhile, Petraeus is helping Bush "frame" the war. Bush started by giving a speech mixing "faith and foreign policy" (gag) to those bilking fetishists at the National Religious Broadcaster's convention. I would have a bag handy if you try to read the transcripts.