Shut up, General Petraeus. That’s an order.

General David Petraeus made two huge mistakes, and if he were my General Officer I’d have busted him.

First, he commented on the kooky minister in Florida who threatened to burn Korans. Why? He said it was because the Koran-burning protest threatens our troops in Afghanistan.

Really? More than they’re threatened after the General makes an even bigger deal out of it? Aren’t our forces there to engage the enemy? Give me a break. Petraeus didn’t have to elevate this kook to the level of credibility he gave him. Speaking out is the kind of blunder I would expect from the Obama/Clinton/Holder administration - but not from the military. Having the military’s top battlefield commander comment on what he deems appropriate expressions of the first amendment is chilling. This was clearly a time the General should have just swallowed a big cup of STFU.

The second blunder - the most grievous - was in the fact that Petraeus got the whole issue backwards, indicating a total lack of understanding of the core values he’s supposed to be defending. If he was going to say anything, he should have said something like this, “Burning Korans is wrong and the guy threatening to do it is way off base. But, there are good men living and dying here in Afghanistan just so he will have the right to say whatever outrageous thing he wants to say. Anyone who attempts to thwart his right to do so by attacking our men will be killed. That’s how we feel about freedom. We’re willing to sacrifice to preserve it, and if you intend to deny us that, you better be willing to die .”