Disgraced by Rolling Stone, Gen. David Petraeus replaces commander

Gen. David Petraeus was named to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as commander in the Afghanistan war. After McChrystal was portrayed in Rolling Stone as openly contemptuous of President Obama and key members of his national security team, McChrystal offered his resignation and Obama accepted it. Opinion has been universal so far that to preserve America’s civilian control over the military, McChrystal needed to go and that Petraeus is the best choice to take over in Afghanistan.

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Political savvy of Petraeus

Gen. David Petraeus, who heads U.S. Central Command, took what looked like certain failure in Iraq and brought the U.S. war there toward a suitable outcome. David Ignatius of the Washington Post said that if the Taliban sold stock, its price would surely have fallen after Wednesday’s announcement that Petraeus would assume control in Afghanistan. Ignatius also explained that Petraeus is probably the most deft political figure he’s seen in uniform who always remembered that he worked for civilian leadership.

A win-win for Obama with Petraeus

Appointing Gen. Petraeus after McChrystal’s challenge to his leadership is a win-win for Obama, as it is reported by the Christian Science Monitor. Obama gains a top commander that comes back in the field, and he also reasserts his role as civilian commander in chief. After insulting comments about the president and top administration officials made by Gen. McChrystal and his staff to a reporter from Rolling Stone, Obama easily summoned the general from Afghanistan to Washington and he won’t be going back.

Gen. McChrystal's apology was of no help

Gen. McChrystal apologized for the article on Tuesday but didn’t say he was misrepresented by it. CNN reports that a source close to McChrystal said that during the 30-minute meeting that happened between Obama and McChrystal on Tuesday, McChrystal briefly explained the Rolling Stone article that derailed his career, took responsibility and then offered his resignation. The president “had no intention of keeping him,” the source reports. McChrystal’s personal belongings could be shipped home.

New boss exact same as old boss

Gen. Petraeus represents a change in style but not of any kind of substance according to Michael Hastings, the freelance writer of the Rolling Stone article at the center of the controversy. On rollingstone.com June 23, Hastings wrote that when Obama replaced McChrystal with Petraeus the president said it was a change in personnel, not policy, and policy has been the problem all along. Hastings said that Obama picked Petraeus because he is a master at telling Americans what they want to hear. It will be Petraeus’ job to spin Afghanistan from a defeat into a face-saving draw after spending hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives that won’t make us any safer from terrorists.

Additional information at these websites

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/23/AR2010062304005.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0623/In-replacing-McChrystal-with-Gen.-David-Petraeus-Obama-reasserts-authority

CNN

edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/23/general.mcchrystal.obama.apology/?hpt=T1&imw=Y&fbid=w2XX2duDWrt