Posted on 04/23/2008 6:42:15 PM PDT by freema
President Bush will nominate Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, to become the next overall commander of American forces in the Middle East as part of a personnel shuffle to take place by early fall, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
FLASHBACK June 1, 2006
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/01/military.training/:
Separately on Thursday, Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Multi-National Corps-Iraq commander, ordered troops to undergo fresh training in legal, moral and ethical standards for the battlefield, in response to what the mayor of Haditha has called a “day of catastrophe.”
“Of the nearly 150,000 coalition forces presently in Iraq , 99.9 percent of them perform their jobs magnificently every day,” Chiarelli said in a statement.
“They do their duty with honor under difficult circumstances. They exhibit sound judgment, honesty and integrity. They display patience, professionalism and restraint in the face of a treacherous enemy. And they do the right thing even when no one is watching. Unfortunately, there are a few individuals who sometimes choose the wrong path.”
Chiarelli’s order to commanders to reinforce “core warrior values training” will include a slide presentation with examples that can be adapted to individual units.
I am very happy for GEN Petreus on the recommendation for the CENTCOM slot but am dismayed that he will be leaving Iraq. He is head and shoulders the best Theater Commander that has been over there since this thing started.
I guess Bush is going to take out Iran before he leaves office.
In fact, "theater commander" is precisely the job that Gen Petraeus is being promoted into. Right now, Petraeus commands all forces in Iraq. But as CENTCOM Commander, he will have direct command of all forces in the Southwest Asian theater -- including Iraq but not limited to Iraq. So if Iran is put on the table, it will be on CENTCOM's table.
The ultimate scope of this war encompasses the regions of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and requires a cohesive strategy. The previous and short-lived CENTCOM commander, Adm Fallon, was a disloyal bastard who undermined the overall mission and was properly sacked. I believe Gen Petraeus is an excellent choice to lead CENTCOM.
I wish Dick Cheney would “pick” Gen. Patraeus for his VP!
Ah, what the heck. Give em the training. As long as they don’t take their ammo belts away when on patrol.
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