Congratulations General Petraeus On The Nomination

Bush Nominates Petraeus To Lead Central Command
washington post
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq and the public face of the war effort there, became President Bush’s nominee yesterday to supervise U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia as head of Central Command, putting him in position to oversee American strategy in Iraq for years to come.
Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who worked closely with Petraeus as the No. 2 commander in Iraq until two months ago, was nominated to receive a fourth star and to take Petraeus’s current job as the leader of Multi-National Force-Iraq.
Together, the moves would elevate the two military officers most responsible for executing last year’s new counterinsurgency strategy and “surge” of nearly 30,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Senior officials said the shifts in top command are aimed at minimizing disruption to the military campaign in Iraq, at a time when security there remains fragile, and as the prospect looms in Washington of major changes in Iraq policy after the U.S. presidential election in November.

“This arrangement probably preserves the likelihood of continued momentum and progress,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in announcing the nominations at the Pentagon yesterday morning. Referring to Odierno as Petraeus’s “right-hand man” and pointing to the officers’ close relationships with U.S. and Iraqi commanders, Gates said the decisions will “provide some continuity for a new administration,” though he added that the next president will “always have the opportunity to make a change.”

In a pattern similar to that of World War II, the nominations mark the ascent within the military of a generation of Army division commanders who rose to prominence as combat leaders during multiple battlefield tours. Petraeus led the 101st Airborne Division during the Iraq invasion, then returned as a three-star general overseeing the building of Iraqi forces before taking his current job — in all, spending nearly four of the past five years in Iraq. Odierno led the 4th Infantry Division in the Sunni Triangle early in the war and returned to Baghdad as the top commander for day-to-day military operations.
Gates also announced that his senior military assistant, Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, will replace Odierno as Bush’s nominee to become the Army’s vice chief of staff. Chiarelli, a veteran of two commands in Iraq who has written articles advocating fresh thinking within the Army, would run the service day-to-day and would seek to manage the strain on the force from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Gates said he hopes the Senate will confirm the nominees before Memorial Day.

Wild Thing’s comment………
I am very happy for GEN Petreus on the recommendation for the CENTCOM. My understanding is that as CENTCOM Commander, he will have direct command of all forces in the Southwest Asian theater — including Iraq but not limited to Iraq. So if Iran is put on the table, it will be on CENTCOM’s table.