Gen. Petraeus Has the Right Stuff

RealClearPolitics ^ | January 10, 2007 | Frederick Chiaventone

[RWR8189]

I had a note from an old friend the other night. He's got a new job and has to move on for a while. We've known each other for years and, due to job requirements, only recently have we been able to get together on a regular basis - usually an informal lunch at his office -- to discuss military affairs, politics, personalities, literature and the challenges history poses for civilization. It sounds heavier than it really is as the conversations are generally casual and inquisitive.

But my friend has found himself thrust forward again. His name is Lieutenant General Dave Petraeus and he's just been nominated for his fourth star and asked to take over operations in Iraq. It will be his third tour there - each time with greater responsibility and with a wider impact. It's not an easy job. Some might even term it thankless. But, if anyone is ready for it Dave is that man.

When last we met over pastrami sandwiches and coffee the subject turned inevitably to the situation in Iraq where we remain heavily engaged in an effort to resurrect that nation from its legacy of corruption and internecine strife. While Dave had been heavily engaged in shepherding the restructuring of US policy for counterinsurgency the nation of Iraq had been lurching forward in fits and starts - eager for a better future and yet mired, seemingly hopelessly, in the tendrils of a convoluted and an unforgiving history.

Now Dave has once again been offered an opportunity to help Iraq meet the challenge of its own existence and future. I strongly believe that he is very much the right man for the job.

As I have already noted, Petraeus is not a stranger to the region or its populations. He has operated successfully

[eleni121]

I've been hearing about him much more frequently recently. He sounds like the most perfect example of the US military.

Is he the right man and the right time? Is this his historic moment?