Humor will not be tolerated!! -Portia

Were any readers at General Petraeus' lecture last night? What did you guys think of it if you were there or saw it on TV?

I'm probably not what you meant by a "reader", but I watched it on TV (it turns out showing up an hour early wasn't enough to get in), and I was impressed. He seemed extremely competent; I liked the way he handled himself both in his introductory remarks and in the question-and-answer session.

You were there, LJ? I know I saw Foreman in the general vicinity of the line not too long before it started, but I couldn't tell if he was just innocently walking by or trying to infiltrate security.

I was impressed as well. He seemed remarkably informed about BYU, seemed more genial than I would have imagined someone in his position to be, and handled all his answers very well. My dad said that he comes across as much more arrogant when you interact with him on an individual level, but that all in all he's a very nice, exceedingly brilliant man. And honestly? It's hard to be a 4-star general and not be arrogant. If it were officially war time, he would probably have that extra star on his right shoulder.

Gimgimno wrote:You were there, LJ? I know I saw Foreman in the general vicinity of the line not too long before it started, but I couldn't tell if he was just innocently walking by or trying to infiltrate security.

Creeper!

I did indeed show up a mere half-hour before it started, but I got a seat inside...mostly because I was on a list to ask a question, so I had a ticket. It was nice to bypass that ridiculous line!

I enjoyed the lecture quite a bit. He wasn't a stereotypical meathead military type who only understands force; I found him very well-educated, eloquent, and understanding of the international cultural subtleties someone in his position would need to know.

Foreman wrote:I did indeed show up a mere half-hour before it started, but I got a seat inside...mostly because I was on a list to ask a question, so I had a ticket. It was nice to bypass that ridiculous line!

Ah, you must be in that class that I'll refrain from uttering to keep your stalkers at bay. Did you even try to stand in line, or did you think better of yourself when the infinity of people stood up when he gave the go-ahead?

I thought the coolest part of the whole thing was the legit security people that had earpieces and transmitters inside their sleeves. Forget the lecture. It's all about elite security forces like in the movies. P:

He wasn't a stereotypical meathead military type who only understands force

As someone who grew up in the military, I can tell you this is an inaccurate and offensive stereotype. The real armed forces does not work like a movie.