Adding confirmation to weeks of rumors to that effect, US officials are reporting Wednesday that current NATO commander in Afghanistan Gen. David Petraeus will soon be replacing Leon Panetta as director of the CIA. The formal announcement is expected later this week.
Panetta will move to the position of Secretary of Defense, replacing Bush Administration holdover Robert Gates. Gates is planning to retire and is expected to be out by June 30. Previous reports suggest that Lt. Gen. John Allen will be the next in a long line of Afghanistan commanders.
For Petraeus, the appoint will likely be bittersweet. He is said to have been keen to replace Admiral Michael Mullen as the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman when he retires later this summer. The Obama Administration was said to prefer Gen. James Cartwright for that position, however, making the CIA something of a consolation prize.
Petraeus took over the role of Afghan commander last July, following the firing of Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Petraeus’ replacement will be the fourth commander of the Obama Administration’s first term for the war, which has been constantly escalating since he took office.
Is this derailing the general's presidential ambitions.. or advancing them? Unlike other places, in the US being the top spook is no bar to the top job (ie., Bush the elder). Is this perhaps a way to salvage his tarnished rep from being connected with a failed war effort?
Lets face it Petraeus was no Patton
He stunk in Mosul Iraq 03-04
Another yes man
Petraeus is now going to be the most corrupt and biggest drug dealers in the world.Perfect fit for a man how orders illegal murders in illegal wars.Ibet he could not be more pleased.He's been a failed general in a country that you would think the US would not break a sweat forcing there style of faulse democracy.For the people that belive thats why they are there witch is also faulse.
What a dismal choice. I guess they want the CIA to be the government version of Xe/Blackwater. No more intelligence work, just covert grunt work. A shame. And this is somewhow supposed to make us safer? Now we'll really have manufactured "intelligence" to suit political goals.
well the state department already has its own secret army so why not turn our real secret army in to an actual army,
no need to declare war when you don't even have to admit there is one
Putting Petraeous in as CIA head would be like appointing a successful bank robber to head the FED.