March 5, 2008 4:53

Who Replaces Petraeus?

Posted by Joe Klein | Comments (26) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This

The Pentagon is arrthymic with rumors about the fate of David Petraeus and who will replace him in command of the Multi-National Force in Iraq (MNF-I). The latest scuttlebutt has Petraeus moving on up to NATO command in the late autumn, possibly after the election. Those who like Petraeus believe this will be a prelude to his becoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs after Admiral Michael Mullen's term expires. But not everyone likes Petraeus, which is why the rumors about who'll replace him in Iraq are hot and heavy right now.

There are two candidates, Generals Peter Chiarelli and Stanley McChrystal. Chiarelli--who commanded the U.S. troops in Iraq under the current Army Chief of Staff, General George Casey--comes from the Petraeus wing of the Army, a military intellectual well-versed in counter-insurgency doctrine. McChrystal is a special ops guy, currently commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, who claims Casey as his mentor. Casey is--famously, in the Army--no fan of Petraeus. A McChrystal ascension--which is the current betting--would be seen, fairly or not, as Casey's revenge. Given the success in calming down Baghdad's neighborhoods, it would seem unlikely that the Petraeus doctrine will be rolled back...on the other hand, Casey reportedly has been among those pressing for a quicker withdrawal from Iraq and McChrystal's mission may be to send as many troops home as he can.

Update: Thanks to reader J.J. for pointing out that Centcom Commander, Admiral William Fallon, may be heading for an early exit.. Fallon has had a running dispute with Petraeus over troop strength in Iraq, favoring a quicker drawdown. I'm not sure how all these pieces fit together, if they fit at all, but I'll make a few more calls...For what it's worth, I don't think this has anything to do with an attack on Iran. Ain't gonna happen.

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Reader Comments (26)

Mike M.:

We all know how much you like Petraeus so it must be kind of hard for you to watch this unfold. Thanks for laying out the drama and the players so succinctly. Gotta say, now that you've done that I'd love to see your blunt thoughts on the matter.

Posted by Mike M. | March 5, 2008 5:14 PM

HH:

Who replaces Klein? Scuttlebutt has it that Glenn Greenwald has been offered the job, but won't accept because he is unwilling to be seen in public with other members of the Time Warner staff.

Another possibility is Ari Fleischer, but his talents may be needed in the McCain campaign. An outside possibility is the winner of a national contest open to high school students, based on the best imitation of a Joe Klein article.

It seems unlikely that Chutzpah Joe's "I have neither the time nor the interest" doctrine of uninformed journalism will be rolled back, but this could be Richard Stengel's chance to cut costs while bringing in a fresh face to tell the same old lies.

Posted by HH | March 5, 2008 5:28 PM

J.J.

Maybe you could find out for us what's happening with Admiral Fallon, and what his dismissal may mean regarding war with Iran:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/05/fallon-bush-fire/

Posted by J.J. | March 5, 2008 5:33 PM

Florida:

I think it's obvious who replaces Petraeus: Jesus.

Preferably the Baby Jesus.

Posted by Florida | March 5, 2008 5:38 PM

Elvis Elvisberg

This is very good, well-informed stuff. But yeah, I'm more worried about JJ's link-- the rumor is that Adm. Fallon will be dismissed early from his post at CENTCOM to make way for someone more pliable, in advance of the administration's push for an attack on Iran.