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When Republicans bought Petraeus, they bought the war

by YankeeJim | June 24, 2010 at 02:00 am

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They say his appointment will get smooth sailing approval through the Senate. That means, Republicans and Democrats likes the General who keeps them regularly informed, and who is the architect of the President’s Afghanistan strategy.

The strategy seems to be a combination of nation-building and concentrated might against a dispersed Taliban. Essentially, they are wearing down the Taliban while waiting for the Afghanistan government to get its act together.

While the strategy, plans, and operational execution may be working, the fact remain, the USA cannot afford to do this.

“Petraeus could provide calming influence after leadership change

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Karen DeYoung

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 24, 2010

By selecting Gen. David H. Petraeus to take charge of the war in Afghanistan, President Obama has minimized the turmoil of a leadership change and built at least a temporary buffer against growing concern that his strategy is not demonstrating enough progress against the Taliban.

But in turning to the nation's most prominent general, Obama has embraced a commander who may become a formidable advocate for slowing, or arresting outright, the pace of troop reductions next summer.

In the short term, choosing Petraeus to replace Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal avoids many of the problems associated with removing the commander of a war effort involving 120,000 U.S. and NATO troops, billions of dollars in reconstruction projects and sensitive diplomatic negotiations.”