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| Iraq |
| Petraeus leaves Iraq |
| 2008-09-16 |
| BAGHDAD - Gen. David Petraeus, whose strategy for countering the Iraq insurgency is credited by many with rescuing the country from all-out civil war, stepped aside Tuesday as Gen. Ray Odierno took over as the top American commander of the conflict. At a traditional change-of-command ceremony attended by top Iraqi and American military and civilian officials, said Odierno's skills and experience make him "the perfect man for the job." With Defense Secretary Robert Gates presiding at the ceremony in a cavernous rotunda of a former Saddam Hussein palace outside Baghdad, Petraeus handed over the flag of his command, known as Multi-National Force Iraq, to Odierno and then bade farewell. Petraeus said the insurgents and militia extremists who have created such chaos in Iraq over the past five years are now weakened but not yet fully defeated. He noted that before he took the assignment in February 2007 he had described the situation as "hard but not hopeless." He thanked his troops for having "turned 'hard but not hopeless' into still hard but hopeful". Because of Odierno's extensive previous experience in Iraq, he is generally expected to be able to continue building on the gains made under Petraeus' command, although an evolving set of difficult challenges face him here and in Washington, where he will soon have a new commander in chief. A major part of Odierno's job will involve working with Iraqi political leaders, in tandem with U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker. In that role Odierno may call on his experiences in 2004-05 as assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when he was the Pentagon's liaison to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and traveled abroad with her frequently. Odierno commanded the 4th Infantry Division during the opening months of the war in 2003. He returned in December 2006, at perhaps the darkest hour for the American-led enterprise, to be the No. 2 commander under Petraeus. He finished that tour in February 2008. When he arrived in Baghdad on Saturday, Odierno recalled after accepting the handover from Petraeus, "I felt like I had never left, but I also felt like I was coming back to my second home." Also addressing the ceremony was Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said Iraq had become a "vastly different place" during Petraeus' tenure. "In more places and on more faces we see hope," Mullen said. Gates recalled the perils faced by Petraeus in February 2007. "Darkness had descended on this land," Gates said. "Merchants of chaos were gaining strength. Death was commonplace," and people around the world were wondering whether any Iraq strategy would work. Slowly, but inexorably, the tide began to turn," Gates said. "Our enemies took a fearsome beating they will not soon forget. Fortified by our own people and renewed commitment, the soldiers of Iraq found new courage and confidence. And the people of Iraq, resilient and emboldened, rose up to take back their country." Injecting a bit of humor, Gates made note of what he called "one other historical achievement" for the new command team of Odierno and Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, who replaced Odierno in February as the No. 2 commander and will remain until next spring. "Between Gen. Odierno and Lt. Gen. Austin we just might have the tallest command in American military history — about 13 feet of general by my estimate," Gates said. Each of the generals is nearly 6 feet 6 inches tall. Odierno told the gathering that while much remains for the U.S. military to accomplish here, the Iraqis must take charge. "This struggle is theirs to win," he said. Petraeus' next assignment will be as commander of U.S. Central Command, with broader responsibilities. From his headquarters in Tampa, Fla., he will oversee U.S. military involvement across the Middle East, including Iraq, as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan and other Central Asian nations. He takes up that post in late October. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #17 AP awarded laugh of the day ---- |
| Posted by: Sherry 2008-09-16 23:32 |
| #16 heh, thx AP |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-09-16 22:19 |
| #15 And, w/r/t Commodore Frank, he is responsible for some major bridges in his town, and NONE of them go to Nowhere. They all go to Somewhere. I am a civil engineer, and I support this message. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul in Tok, AK 2008-09-16 21:48 |
| #14 crap, I'm an engineering Project Manager (for a while longer) in a major municipality, and I have been more politician than engineer in the last year. Another reason I'm grinning from ear-to-ear with the change.... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-09-16 20:07 |
| #13 Odierno sound more like a politician than a soldier By the time you get above Colonel you have to be more like a politician than a soldier. Just like in big business general managers and VPs are more politicians than anything else. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-09-16 19:22 |
| #12 They make Odierno sound more like a politician than a soldier. Dunno if that's true or fair or not. But if it is we certainly have Petraeus to thank for creating the kind of environment where the skills of a politician are more in demand that those of a soldier. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2008-09-16 15:56 |
| #11 If he's smart, he'll find a way to declare victory and withdraw. We've done all the good we can in Afghanistan. It is of no strategic value to us at all as far as I can see, and its cost is well in excess of whatever value can be imagined. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-09-16 14:33 |
| #10 For a short time, he will be in the cat-bird's seat. The big question is where does he go from here? He will probably be very quiet until election day. But after that decision, he will write his own destiny. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-09-16 14:16 |
| #9 walking with God or with Lady Luck! I don't care who he walks with. Just send a case of them to each general in the army. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-09-16 14:05 |
| #8 #4 Are you talkin bout the donks in Congress? ROLF! Yep especialy those shitsticks NS!LOL You made me spill my coffee! He did one fine job on those assholes too NS! I consider him a Genius who is walking with God or with Lady Luck! ~:) |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2008-09-16 13:52 |
| #7 He is one for the ages. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2008-09-16 13:37 |
| #6 I was honored to get to shake his hand and have my photo taken with him in Taji about a month ago. He takes counter-insurgency (COIN) so seriously that it was said that he visited every new COIN class at the Phoenix Academy in Taji. We will miss him. |
| Posted by: Dreadnought 2008-09-16 13:32 |
| #5 Job unbelievablly well done! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-09-16 13:24 |
| #4 Are you talkin bout the donks in Congress? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-09-16 13:19 |
| #3 We are lucky as hell to have leaders like Gen. David Petraeus. He used a military Strategic Jujitsu on a whole bunch of NASTY people and problems. |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2008-09-16 13:18 |
| #2 Job well done, sir. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2008-09-16 12:28 |
| #1 Petraeus will go down in history alongside Sir Gerald Templer as the two greatest counterinsurgency leaders in the past century. Remember though that even though Templer broke the Malayan Communists, it still took another eight years of mopup before it was finally over. |
| Posted by: Jolutch Mussolini7800 2008-09-16 12:04 |