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Home Front: WoT
Petraeus sworn in as new CIA chief
2011-09-07
[Dawn] David Petraeus was sworn in Tuesday as head of the CIA to direct the civilian covert war against Al-Qaeda after years of command in Iraq and Afghanistan as America's most influential general.

Petraeus, 58, who succeeds Leon Panetta,
...current SecDef, previously Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Panetta served as President Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff from 1994 to 1997 and was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993....
now the defense secretary, hung up his army uniform less than a week ago after a 37-year military career to take on the new role as spymaster.

"Duty, honor and country," said Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden
The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body...
as he swore in Petraeus at the White House.

"The day I met you in Afghanistan, those words came to mind. You have had a truly distinguished career, general. You've excelled in every single thing you've done."
Not that he'll take back any of the things the Dems said about the general in 2007...
Posted by:Fred

#4  U.S. General David Petraeus said on Wednesday that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was fomenting anti-American sentiment due to the perception of U.S. favoritism towards Israel.

Israel is very different from its neighbors Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan or for that matter other Mideast islamic countries. Our relationship with Israel ought to be treated differently.
Posted by: JohnQC   2011-09-07 12:13  

#3  The important thing, Petraeus is a principled man.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2011-09-07 02:08  

#2  Petraeus' in unquestionably brilliant, but his brand of "COIN" is failing at an alarming rate. McChristal saw it falling apart. We've squandering billions on schools, make-work projects, and infrastructure. Civil action programs in Afghanistan are an illusion of progress. Afghanistan is not Peoria, it's like no place else on earth. The Pentagon is finally realizing that the only way to deal with the tribal realities of the Taliban is to take down the leadership and the facilitators. We're bailing water out of the boat but only until we can reach the dock and climb to safety. The boat will still sink.
Posted by: Besoeker   2011-09-07 01:04  

#1  Gonna be fascinating to watch this play out. Will Petraeus be able to run COIN against his treacherous and leak-prone subordinates or will the legendary entrenched bureaucracy grind him down. No idea what the over/under is.
Posted by: SteveS   2011-09-07 00:51  

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