Yesterday, the Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol proposed an intriguing replacement for Gen. McChrystal:
If Gen. McChrystal does step down, there are undoubtedly many able general officers who could replace him. Here’s one unconventional suggestion, though: Ask Gen. David Petraeus to give up his CENTCOM post and take command of the war in Afghanistan.
Today, we find that Obama took the advice :
President Obama announced Wednesday that he has accepted Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s resignation as the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and nominated Gen. David Petraeus to replace him, following a scathing article in which he and his aides were quoted criticizing the administration.
While it might just be a coincidence (though if I was Kristol, I’d take credit for it) the irony of choosing the neo-cons favorite military leader won’t be lost on Obama’s more left-leaning supporters.
Keep in mind that only three years ago MoveOn.org took out a full-page ad in the New York Times titled ” General Petraeus or General Betray Us .” This was only a year before the group endorsed Obama . I wonder if they are feeling a bit betrayed by the news.
