Obama to Support Petraeus?

I have to admit, I was as shocked as anybody when Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said on Fox News Sunday that he was going to support the nomination of General David Petraeus as the commander of U.S. Central Command, the military's combatant command responsible for one of the most volatile regions in the world. What's going on here?

My initial reaction was one of confusion. Mr. Obama staunchly opposed the surge, while Petraeus, next to President Bush, was its biggest advocate. Mr. Obama wants to set a firm withdrawal date from Iraq, while General Petraeus has consistently argued that arbitrary timelines that ignore security conditions on the ground are foolish and make for bad military strategy. Mr. Obama wants to hold direct, unconditional talks with Iran, while General Petraeus repeatedly warns us that Tehran is responsible for arming and training elements within Iraq that are targeting and killing American soldiers.

In deciding to support Petraeus' nomination, Senator Obama is attempting to show support for the military successes achieved under Petraeus while separating those successes from the political policies of the Bush administration. Truth be told, though, the two cannot be separated. President Bush, in his capacity as Commander in Chief of the armed forces, ordered the surge in American troops that largely reduced violence in Iraq and prevented a slide into full-blown civil war. General Petraeus, along with General Odierno (who is now slated to be Petraeus' replacement in Iraq), were charged with executing the surge strategy. The results have been spectacular, with dramatic decreases in virtually every category tracked by the U.S. military: roadside bombs, indirect fire attacks, direct fire attacks, kidnappings, sectarian violence, U.S. casualties, Iraqi casualties, etc. And, despite many claims to the contrary, political progress in Baghdad is being made. It is excruciatingly slow, to be sure, but it is happening nonetheless. A separation of the man who gave the order from the execution and results of the order just cannot be done.

Petraeus is popular with the troops in Iraq, with the public at home, and with the Congress in Washington. To oppose him runs the risk of being labeled as one who refuses to recognize the good he has done in Iraq. So Senator Obama will support him, and will vote to confirm him as the next commander of CENTCOM. Then, if elected, he will ignore everything that General Petraeus has said and done in an attempt to satisfy the anti-war base element that brought him to the White House. My initial confusion was misplaced. The reality is that Mr. Obama cannot actively oppose Petraeus, even though he asserts he is opposed to everything the general believes.

The real question is whether he will follow through on his pledges of withdrawal and accept the likely consequences that will accompany a completely failed state in Iraq.