Petraeus To Lead Central Command

For those serving at the pleasure of the president, it's never been a good idea to speak out against his policies—a lesson Centcom commander Admiral William Fallon learned recently when Esquire magazine, as part of a lengthy profile, described him as the only thing standing between Bush and war with Iran. Fallon tendered his resignation (read: was fired) shortly after the article's publication. The news today is that General David Petraeus, one of Fallon's primary opponents in intra-Pentagon squabbles and a practiced public supporter of the Bush administration's Iraq strategy, will be taking over the job of his former nemesis. Read the AP story here, which reports that Bush plans to nominate Petraeus as the next commander of U.S. Central Command.