Pentagon Brass Chafes At Obama's Iraq Pullout Plan

Iraqi Army Maj. Mohammed, executive officer for 3rd Battalion, 9th Brigade, 3rd Division and U.S. Army Capt. David Myers and Capt. Alejandro Gentry, 1st Battalion, 12th Brigade, 3rd Military Transition Team discuss plans for the upcoming elections during a visit to a polling station in the Al Kudis neighborhood of Mosul, Iraq, on Jan. 24, 2009. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. JoAnn S. Makinano, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

From The Daily Star:

WASHINGTON: CENTCOM commander General David Petraeus, supported by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, tried to convince President Barack Obama that he had to back down from his campaign pledge to pullout all US combat troops from Iraq within 18 months at an Oval Office meeting on January 21, sources have said.

But Obama informed Gates, Petraeus and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen that he wasn't convinced and wanted Gates and the military leaders to come back quickly with a detailed 16-month plan, according to two sources who have talked with participants in the meeting.

Obama's decision to override Petraeus' recommendation has not ended the conflict between the president and senior military officers over troop withdrawal, however. There are indications that Petraeus and his allies in the military and the Pentagon, including General Ray Odierno, now the top commander in Iraq, have already begun to try to pressure Obama to change his withdrawal policy.

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My Comment: An excellent article .... one that had to be published outside of the U.S. instead of inside. The person/people who leaked this story are obviously not happy (and/or worried) with the direction that the U.S. President is going through in regards to Iraq.

If true, President Obama has clearly overruled what all the Generals and the Defense Department want to do in Iraq. Instead, hHe wants all combat troops out in sixteen months .... the priority now is Afghanistan ..... and what the Generals want be damned.

But the part of the article that I found informative was the last half. The journalist in this article outlines his belief and the belief of his sources that General Petraeus's appointment to be head of CENTCOM was done more for political considerations in the event of an Obama win in the Presidential election than anything else.

I suggest that the entire article be read ..... it is fascinating reading.