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Gen. Cartwright Craps Out at JCS
President Obama summoned one of his favorite and most trusted military advisers, Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, to the White House on May 21 for a one-on-one meeting. But this time, the president had bad news.Over the previous year, Obama had asked Cartwright on three occasions if he'd be willing to serve as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The general demurred the first two times, saying he was looking forward to retirement after a 40-year military career. Your first instinct is always your best. Cartwright, however, did not end up as Obama's guy. In recent weeks, the cerebral but introverted general, who goes by the nickname "Hoss," became the casualty of a concerted lobbying campaign by critics inside the Pentagon who persuaded the president to bypass him. Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates -- both of whom had long mistrusted Cartwright because of his independent relationship with the president and for opposing their plan to expand the war in Afghanistan -- had recommended that he not get the job, said [the usual un-named sources]. Obama has since settled on Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. Posted by: Bobby 2011-05-29 |
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