Posted on 10/31/2008 12:59:57 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
Gen. David Petraeus took over U.S. Central Command during a one-hour ceremony this morning at MacDill Air Force Base, assuming responsibility for military operations in the most volatile part of the world -- the Middle East.
Under a large American flag and with 84 members of Petraeus' West Point class of 1974 looking on, he accepted the CentCom battle flag from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Petraeus is widely credited with being the architect of the Iraq surge that many believe led to a dramatic reduction in violence. Now expectations are high as Petraeus tries the same thing in Afghanistan, where battle against extremists is on the rise.
Petraeus and Gates said little of substance about the path before them in the Middle East, exchanging the kind of praise that is the usual hallmark of military change-of-command ceremonies.
Petraeus told a crowd of several hundred people that the war in Afghanistan would require a "comprehensive approach" that includes tackling the underlying problems that give rise to extremism.
"The way ahead will be difficult," Petraeus said.
Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey relinquished command to Petraeus. The pair attended the same West Point class. Both Gates and Petraeus offered praise for the job he did at CentCom.
Joking about Petraeus' fame that stems from his success in Iraq, Gates said, "Dave, you probably require less introduction than anyone I know."
Petraeus, 55, a father of two children, served as the ground commander in Iraq. He is the former commander of the famed 101st Airborne division and has held a wide variety of command and staff positions.
Good man. I wish him much success.
He’s 5-star pay grade, imo.
There are heros in the world today....General Patreaus is one. George Bush is one. John McCain is one. May God bless them all. May their courage and strength inspire some in the coming generation.
A true patriot. God Bless the General for he has made America proud. If it weren't for General Petraus Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi may well have had the chance to destroy our military credibility in the world by promoting the surrender in Iraq.
A big “thank you” and continued success to this great American hero.
IF Hussein seizes the White House, I’ll be surprised if the good general still is around a year from now.
QUOTE
“IF Hussein seizes the White House, I’ll be surprised if the good general still is around a year from now.”
That will give us plenty of time to fire up the
“Draft Petraeus”
“Draft Peter Pace”
“Draft Tommy Franks”
for some of them seat we will be emptying in the senate
If Obama makes it, the military should un-volunteer.
If he does, he’ll have plenty of people who would be proud to lay down their lives to protect him and his family.
Petraeus is a hero, all the more for having to fight his own upper command to get the job done. According to Bob Woodward’s portrait of him, he has a healthy level of ambition. I think we hear from him again one of these election cycles. Works for me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.