Kicked Upstairs

It remains to be seen whether General David Petraeus' selection to head up US Central Command will be a good thing in the long run. I suspect that it will be - and that his successors will continue to push home the hard fought lessons and continue to carry on the mission.

Gen. David Petraeus has been tapped to become the next commander of U.S. Central Command.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced his decision Wednesday at a press conference in Washington.

He also announced several other shifts in military leadership affecting Iraq.

Taking Petraeus' position as the senior commander in Iraq would be Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, who had until recently been serving as Petraeus' deputy.

"I respectfully ask the Senate to move on them expeditiously, hopefully by Memorial Day," Gates said. Both positions will require Senate confirmation.

If confirmed by the Senate, Petraeus would replace Navy Adm. William Fallon, who abruptly stepped down in March after a magazine reported that he was at odds with President Bush over Iran policy. Fallon said the report had become a distraction.

Petraeus, 55, is widely hailed by the Bush administration and members of Congress for developing and implementing a new strategy in Iraq, including the deployment of some 30,000 additional troops, that dramatically improved security.

After all, his change in strategy and tactics helped stabilize Iraq and allowed the Iraqi government to begin advancing on its benchmarks, including the 2008 General Amnesty Law, which provides reconciliation between Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds who had been torn apart by decades of Saddam's ruinous reign and the subsequent sectarian violence perpetrated by al Qaeda and various Sunni groups seeking to bring about anarchy.