Petraeus's Opportunity - Mark Moyar, Wall Street Journal opinion.
The firing of Gen. Stanley McChrystal has ended the career of an outstanding military leader and the only American to forge a close relationship in recent years with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. It has disrupted the war when the U.S. executive branch and Congress crave signs of immediate progress.
It has also brought in a new commander, Gen. David Petraeus, who has a great record and the public-relations savvy his predecessor lacked. Those assets, together with the urgency this crisis has given to longstanding problems, afford the new commander hitherto unavailable opportunities.
For one thing, the change may facilitate the appointment of an American ambassador who shares the strategic views of the military commander. Karl Eikenberry's differences with Gen. McChrystal—and with Gen. Petraeus, who was on the same page as Gen. McChrystal—undermined efforts to organize militias and co-opt insurgents. Mr. Eikenberry's contempt for Mr. Karzai has prevented him from accomplishing his most important mission—influencing the chief of state...
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