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| Gates' grand slam: Petraeus moves up |
| 2008-04-25 |
| By Ralph Peters Yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates demonstrated, again, that he's the most capable Cabinet member to serve during President Bush's second term: The SecDef hit a grand-slam homer for our national security. First, he nominated Gen. David Petraeus to move up and take over the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the headquarters directing our efforts not only in Iraq, but also in Afghanistan and throughout most of the Middle East. Employing his war-taught grasp of the Islamic heartlands and his expertise in postmodern forms of warfare, Petraeus will ensure that all our efforts are integrated and complementary, that we maximize our effectiveness in this vital theater of war. As Lincoln said of Grant, "I can't spare this man - he fights." Gates also made it clear that the quality of the leadership transition matters: Petraeus won't leave Baghdad immediately. He'll stay long enough to oversee the withdrawal of the last surge forces and to assess the situation before he "pulls pitch." The grownups are in charge now. Gates' second run batted in was the nomination of the New York area's own Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno to succeed Petraeus as our top gun in Baghdad. Big Ray has only been back home with his family for two months, but he's tough: He'll suck it up and do what our country asks. And there couldn't be a better choice. Not only because Odierno's a soldier's soldier, but because he's the man who had the day-to-day responsibility for executing Petraeus' command vision. Petreaus plotted the route, but Odierno drove the car. We won't turn back toward failure. Of course, sending Odierno back to Baghdad leaves a hole in the Pentagon lineup: He'd been nominated to become the next US Army vice chief of staff and to pin on a fourth star (he'll still get that deserved promotion, but back on the front lines). That brings us to the third runner across the plate: Gates nominated another combat-tested Iraq vet, Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, to take that job in Odierno's place. Chiarelli was a bright star during some of our darkest nights in Iraq. He'll clean up the Army dugout back at Pentagon Field. Secretary Gates' determination to nominate the most qualified soldiers, rather than yes-men, is stand-up-and-cheer evidence that he's the polar opposite of his failed predecessor, the odious Donald Rumsfeld. But it was the fourth "run" yesterday that really underscored the difference between the two men. What made the SecDef's performance a grand slam was his heartfelt thank-you to Gen. Odierno's wife and family for their sacrifice as Big Ray heads back to Baghdad - after little more than a spring break. An Army saying goes, "You enlist the soldier, but you re-enlist the family." Gates gets it: Every soldier's family, whether a junior enlisted man's or a general's, is a vital part of the team. It's also a great thing to have a SecDef who just tells the truth: Gates noted bluntly yesterday that "Iranians are killing Americans in Iraq." It's now up to Congress to respond to Gates' request that these nominations be approved by Memorial Day. Will the partisans on Capitol Hill create another spectacle, or will they do the right thing? Will election-year politics undercut our soldiers yet again? One Potomac ritual remained the same yesterday, as the SecDef's press session soon degenerated into spring-butt reporters asking questions revealing their miraculous ignorance of military affairs. But the word was already out to our enemies throughout the Middle East: We're determined to win - and we've got the right men to do it, by God. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #8 Thats right Frank G, didn't know I could 'turn on a dime' and support Queen Hillary if my man Obama succumbs to the 'knifings' everyones employing! I can even support McCain should Billy Boy continue to play the Race Card down to the Convention! |
| Posted by: smn 2008-04-25 23:22 |
| #7 yeah, that's the ticket... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-04-25 18:09 |
| #6 Not so fast guys, Gates may simply be reading the 'tea leaves' and moving Petraeus out of harms way should the DEM's sweep this November! Atleast with Hillary, I'm sure the Pentagon hasn't forgotten the stiff arm (Bird)they gave her some months back, when she wrote that letter demanding the parameters of an Iraqi 'pullout' by the US, if it came to that! |
| Posted by: smn 2008-04-25 16:45 |
| #5 Agree with Nimble, but one must consider the act Gates had to follow. Al Sharpton would have probably been an improvement over Rumsfeld. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-04-25 14:21 |
| #4 The DOD would prefer that Gen. Petraeus remain in the field. He is too valuable there to be placed anywhere else. Not every leader wants work in Operations. |
| Posted by: reload 2008-04-25 14:09 |
| #3 Agree, Nimble, he's turned out to be the SecDef we should have had in 2004. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-04-25 11:46 |
| #2 I was sceptical and apprehensive about Gates, but he has done a very good job. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-04-25 09:48 |
| #1 Now if he takes out his pen and signs a piece of paper moving McMasters et al out of the farm team and up to the majors [by calling down to the SecArmy who has the full authority to make it happen], we may be in for a real exciting season. It'll upset the good old boys [who should be moved along to early retirement], but its nothing like the quick promotions that got Ike as commander in Europe. It's wartime, personnel actions should not be tied to peacetime box filling and non-combat records. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-04-25 09:06 |