Posted on 1/21/2008, 7:07:01 AM by jdm
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Department of Defense is considering moving the main architect of a troop "surge" strategy, General David Petraeus, out of Iraq and giving him a top NATO command job, The New York Times reported on its website late Sunday.
Citing an unnamed senior Pentagon official, the newspaper said the department was weighing "a next assignment for Petraeus," now the top US military commander in Iraq, and that the job of NATO supreme commander was a possibility.
"He deserves one and that has also always been a highly prestigious position," the report quotes the official as saying. "So he is a candidate for that job, but there have been no final decisions and nothing on the timing."
One of the proposed scenarios calls for nominating Petraeus for the NATO post before the end of September, when Congress goes into recess for elections, the paper said.
If everything goes as planned, Petraeus might stay in Iraq for some time after that before moving to the allianceÂ’s headquarters in Brussels, The Times said.
The leading candidates to replace him are Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal, head of special operations in Iraq, and Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli, a senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, according to the report.
Under the "surge" strategy advocated by Petraeus and fully espoused by President George W. Bush, about 30,000 extra troops were sent to Iraq early last year in a bid to quell violence.
According to a Pentagon report released last month, the surge has been working, with US forces achieving "significant security progress" in Iraq over the past three months with the number of attacks down 62 percent.
Petraeus has been repeatedly praised by leading Republicans as the man who can get the job done in Iraq.
That would be idiotic in the extreme.
It’s a good example of the stupid paper-pushing sort of thinking which afflicts the Pentagon and has so badly hampered this war.
“General Sherman is doing a great job, but he needs a joint service billet in order to round out his CV.”
Morons.
I wish, if it takes place, the shift wouldn’t take so long - NATO needs some serious whup a*s - and get things moving before the spring offensives start again - although the violence hasn’t slowed down much this winter, as was usual The military still takes far too long to listen to the commanders in the field and take action...
Might as well bring him home to sell war bonds, while he’s at it.
I second the “Morons” comment.
Does this mean NATO has finally declared itself as hostile?
Yeah, but they’re talking about making him SACEUR - not putting him in charge of the NATO organization as a whole. Indeed, in this age, they’re talking about basically as irrelevant a posting as one could find.
The only place it would make sense for Petraeus to go would be upwards - to CENTCOM or, perhaps, to some other role which would put him in charge of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Some sort of General-in-Chief position like Grant held during the Civil War, with Lt. Gen. Odierno getting a fourth star and the Iraq command.
Fred Thompson-President
General David Petraeus-VP
John Bolton-Secretary of State
Duncan Hunter-Secretary of Defense
Rudy Giuliani-Attorney General
Mitt Romney-Secretary of Commerce
Sam Nunn-Secretary of Energy
Michael Steele-HUD Secretary
Jeb Bush-Homeland Security Sec’y
Lt. Gen. Russel Honore-FEMA Director
Glen Beck-Press Secretary
Zell Miller-VA Sec’y
JC Watts-Secretary of the Army
Steve King-ICE Director
Jim DeMint-Supreme Court Justice
“According to a Pentagon report released last month, the surge has been working, with US forces achieving “significant security progress” in Iraq over the past three months with the number of attacks down 62 percent.”
Not for long.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL19313814
NAJAF, Iraq, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mehdi Army militia might not renew its six-month ceasefire, a key cause of the decline in violence in Iraq, unless attacks against it stop, a Sadr aide said on Saturday.
Salah al-Ubaidi, a senior official in Sadr’s political movement in the holy Shi’ite city of Najaf, accused “criminal elements” inside Iraqi security forces of attacking Sadr’s followers and Mehdi Army fighters.
“If the government security forces do not stop their campaigns of detention and arresting our followers, we may reconsider our decision to freeze the Mehdi Army,” Ubaidi told Reuters.
The six months of the declared ceasefire run out next month.
“Rudy Giuliani-Attorney General”
Gun grabber as AG?
Nice.
“Jeb Bush-Homeland Security Sec’y”
Open borders scum?
No thanks.
“Lt. Gen. Russel Honore-FEMA Director”
Finally one I like. :)
OK except Bush.
no mas
I vote and drink to that line-up. Pipe dream, but some positive things would surely happen more quickly in this country if that ever came about. Back in the ‘70’s a full bird asked me what my take on the Vietnam Conflict was and I told him: “Sir, buying the farm is one thing. Something that goes with this uniform at times, but ‘f’ losing.”
Laura Bush would make a fine Sec. of Eduction.???
That sounds so much better. I never did like the change to Department of Defense.
“That would be idiotic in the extreme.”
Not necessarily. For one thing, the appointment would not be presented until September according to the article. Also according to the article, he would not move for some time after the appointment.
Do not forget that NATO has the responsibility for Afghanistan. Do you not think that maybe this is being put out there to tell NATO, you had better get your act together now in Afghanistan, because General Petraeus is coming your way, and he will kick your behinds if your still sitting on them?
Sorry, I have Bush/Cheney fatigue.
I'll vote for THAT
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