Petraeus at Atlantic Council
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James Joyner | Thursday, October 9, 2008 |
Lt.Gen. Brent Scrowcroft, GEN David Petraeus, and Atlantic Council President and CEO Fred Kempe
I had the privilege of sitting in on an Atlantic Council meeting with General David Petraeus this afternoon. He’s making the rounds in Washington in preparation for taking over CENTCOM. He mostly came to listen to selected members of our Strategic Advisors Group but he also shared his thoughts with us on the important challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which he termed “the long theater in the Long War.”
The bottom line is that winning in Afghanistan will require “sustained commitment” from the United States and NATO on the military front but, far more importantly, on the diplomatic and development fronts.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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I find it extremely interesting that Petraeus did not think the surge would work. Yet, McCain says that opposing the surge makes Obama unsuited to be President while still saying he would take Pertaeus advice on what to do. Is this a major inconsistency for McCain?
Obviously I don't know what else Gen. Petraeus may have said, but I would amend the one-sentence version thusly (additional language in boldface is mine):
The bottom line is that winning in Afghanistan will require “sustained commitment” from the United States and NATO on the military front but, far more importantly, on the diplomatic and development fronts, in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
