General Petraeus has been chosen to head Centcom. While I think that the General has become very political, I am not sure he is so out and out in favor of attacking Iran. He seems to be very concerned with his career. He has never really promised that the surge would be lasting success, but he allowed others to morph him into a hero.

However, I think the new commander for Iraq is dangerous. General Ordierno, until now deputy commander for Iraq, will get the top job there. In the initial invasion, he was commander of the fourth infantry division. His division was supposed to enter Iraq from the north, but Turkey denied permission for US forces to cross Turkish territory. He had to reroute his division to Kuwait, and by the time they entered Iraq the fighting was over.

He did take a very harsh approach to the Iraqi people, and helped set off the insurgency. His Wikipedia entry gives him credit for Sunni Awakening councils, but the Awakening councils did not arise out of any American action but however from a Sunni effort to secure temporary help from Americans. And they have not completely stopped killing Americans, merely toned it down.

It is my surmise that General Ordierno is a Neocon darling. He has been constantly stating that Iran is supporting the fighting in Iraq, a charge which is basically untrue. And he comes at a very dangerous time for US forces in Iraq. The Shia are beginning to coalesce around Muqtada al Sadr. Other more moderate Shia groups are losing influence to him. Muqtada al-Sadr is determined to evict us from Iraq, and he has the potential to do so, our position is very weak.

Since our position in Iraq is so weak, and our position vis a vis Iran in the entire Middle East is also so weak, what we need is a diplomat in this area, not a barroom brawler.