Experts react to Petraeus CentCom nomination

Yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said General David Petraeus will be promoted as the next commander of U.S. Central Command. Petraeus was the driving force behind last year's "surge" in Iraq, and earlier this month he told Congress that troop withdrawals after August are unlikely.

President Bush's nomination of Petraeus as CentCom commander raised eyebrows among retired military officers and national security experts. Chief among their concerns is Petraeus' heavy focus on the Iraq war and a potential lack of objectivity when it comes to broader strategic decisions -- particularly concerning the conflict in Afghanistan, where Petraeus has never served.

Major General Mel Montano (USANG, Ret.) said,

As CENTCOM commander, General Petraeus has the responsibility of the entire theater to manage... We keep hearing that Al Qaida is continuing to plan attacks on U. S. cities and allied countries. Well if we had concentrated on the command structure of Al Qaida in Afganistan there would not be any planning cells or Al Qaida leadership to do so.

Lawrence J. Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, asked if

after a year and a half as the Commanding General of Multinational Forces in Iraq, can General Petraeus objectively asses priorities as the overall commander of the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan? If history is any guide, General Petraeus will have difficulty remaining impartial.

These are important questions, and Petraeus should have to address them during his confirmation hearings before the Senate.

Read the full statements after the jump.

Major Gen. Mel Montano (USANG, Ret.): "As CENTCOM commander, General Petraeus has the responsibility of the entire theater to manage. General Officers are not only combat leaders but statesman as well. Let's see if he can perform in this more demanding leadership role. We keep hearing that Al Qaida is continuing to plan attacks on U. S. cities and allied countries. Well if we had concentrated on the command structure of Al Qaida in Afghanistan there would not be any planning cells or Al Qaida leadership to do so. This is a basic military strategy concept "remove the command and planning structure, "dud". True leadership is not in the biceps but in the brain and heart. Check out the World's greatest leaders and see if it is not true."

Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress: "The potential appointment of General David Petraeus as the head of the U.S. Central Command raises several questions. First, after a year and a half as the Commanding General of Multinational Forces in Iraq, can General Petraeus objectively asses priorities as the overall commander of the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan? If history is any guide, General Petraeus will have difficulty remaining impartial. A month before the 2004 election, General Petraeus painted an overly optimistic picture of the progress that the Iraqi Security Forces were making in the Washington Post. As head of the U.S. training mission to Iraq, General Petraeus' conflict of interest was apparent and as history has proven, the Iraqi troops were not as capable as General Petraeus made them out to be.  Second, what implications will General Petraeus' appointment have for the next president? Should he be confirmed by the Senate, General Petraeus will be appointed to a three year term as the next CENTCOM commander. Effectively, this decision will lock-in General Petraeus as the head of the Central Command for the next president, whomever he or she may be, regardless of their objectives in Iraq.  Finally, General Petraeus' appointment would also mean that he can no longer dodge the question posed to him in this month and last September of 'is the war in Iraq making America safer?' As the commanding general responsible for overall U.S. national security interests in the greater Middle East, Senators should press the general to answer this important question during his confirmation hearing."

Rand Beers, president of the National Security Network: "In previous hearings and public statements, Gen. Petraeus has chosen not to address our military engagement in Afghanistan and the need to formulate a coherent regional strategy. With this nomination, the American public will now have the opportunity to hear Petraeus' views on these crucial topics. Hopefully, during the Senate confirmation hearings, he will address the broader issue of how our presence in Iraq affects our ability to combat terrorism generally  and the resurgence of the Taliban and al Qaeda  along  the Pakistan and Afghanistan frontier specifically."

Jon Soltz, Chairman of VoteVets.org, and an Iraq War veteran: "The Senate must explore whether or not General Petraeus can separate himself from his role as commander in Iraq, to offer an honest and sobering assessment of the situation in the region, and the dangers of attacking Iran, in the same way Admiral Fallon clearly did.  Clearly, General Petraeus has been a good tactical commander. He now must prove that he will be an honest and able strategic commander, even if in doing so he loses his job, like so many senior commanders dismissed by the Bush administration before him."

Posted by Americans United For Change Web Team