Obama would face tough decision on whether to retain Gen. Petraeus

When Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) travels to Iraq later this year, he will probably meet with one of America’s most popular and most politicized generals: David Petraeus.

Beyond presidential campaign tactics, that meeting could also provide early hints of whether Obama, if elected president, would keep Petraeus as the U.S. general in charge of both Iraq and Afghanistan.

{mosads}Obama already finds himself in a delicate position: risking to go against the general whose plan to temporarily increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq quelled insurgent violence, but also risking to alienate the liberal base, which vehemently opposed the so-called “surge,” and has been pushing for troop withdrawal.

The Illinois senator has vowed to change the war policies of the Bush administration, but replacing the officers whom the president has selected to carry out his orders is more politically challenging.

New presidents usually pick people in their own party for Cabinet and other high-profile government positions. Yet Democrats have not always followed that example at the Pentagon. For example, President Clinton in 1997 tapped then-Sen. William Cohen (R-Maine) to head the Defense Department.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close ally of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), calls Petraeus a “national treasure” and challenged Obama to commit to keeping him in his new post.

“He would serve the country well in that position,” Graham said. “I know Sen. McCain will have him stay, and I would urge Obama to keep him on because he understands Iraq and Afghanistan better than anybody I have ever met.”

Continuity in military command in the region could be important, said Paul Rieckhoff, the executive director and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Petraeus has “tremendous respect” within the military, said the retired first lieutenant.

Obama “will go a long way in showing that he is bipartisan if he keeps Petraeus,” said Rieckhoff. “I do not think keeping Petraeus would make MoveOn very happy.”

When the surge was announced last year, liberal grassroots group MoveOn ran the notorious ads calling Petraeus “General Betray-Us.” Obama defended Petraeus at the time and since then, MoveOn has been more muted in its tactics against the war.

MoveOn did not comment for this article despite several requests for comment.

Obama has recently put even more distance between himself and MoveOn. Last week, he voted for, and congratulated Petraeus on, his confirmation as the head of Central Command with responsibility over Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, East Africa and Central Asia.

“Sen. Obama congratulates Gen. Petraeus on this important confirmation, and wishes him well in carrying out a broad range of responsibilities in a vital region to the United States,” Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, told the New York Sun.

Sens. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) were the only “no” votes on Petraeus’s confirmation. Harkin does not believe that Petraeus would present a plan for troop withdrawal and that neither would his successor, Gen. Ray Odierno. Byrd said he wanted Petraeus to stay in Iraq to ensure that the recent successes are not reversed.

Obama’s kind words for Petraeus have fueled grumbling that the Illinois senator is moving toward the political center. Obama also angered his anti-war political base earlier this month by saying that he would “refine” his Iraq policy after he talks to the generals in that country.

After criticism that he may backtrack on his plan to withdraw troops within 16 months, Obama insisted that his policy has been consistent.

“My position has not changed at all, and what I have repeatedly said is that as commander in chief, obviously I’d be listening to recommendations of generals on the ground,” Obama said. “But it is my job as commander in chief to set up a strategy; it’s their job to execute tactics.”

Obama and Petraeus have been at odds over Iraq policy: Obama said he is committed to a rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops, while Petraeus has warned that a quick withdrawal could roll back security gains. Several other military officials also said that a quick withdrawal could create logistical nightmares.

Obama’s visit to Iraq will come on the heels of reports that the Bush administration is planning to withdraw additional combat forces from Iraq in September.

More troop withdrawals announced in the heat of the presidential election could boost McCain, a strong supporter of the U.S. strategy in Iraq. McCain has indicated that any further withdrawals this year would mean that the strategy is working.

While McCain and his Senate surrogates have been clear that Petraeus would stay on as Central Commander if the Arizona senator wins the presidency in November, Obama’s supporters in the Senate have avoided the question, saying that it’s a decision Obama will have to make himself once in the Oval Office.

The Obama campaign did not comment for this article by press time.

“I think he [Petraeus] has done a good job,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), a fervent Obama supporter. “I do not have a strong opinion about [Obama keeping him on] one way or the other. I think the new president will have to make a lot of decisions that will be judgment calls and the American people will have to determine whom they want to make those judgment calls.”

Meanwhile, several GOP senators said Obama should keep Petraeus on.

“I think he is going to serve any president very well,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

There has been some speculation in GOP circles that Petraeus has a bright political future if he wants it.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) went so far as to call Petraeus “the new Eisenhower.” Gen. Dwight Eisenhower remained in Europe to lead NATO after World War II and upon his return to the U.S. was elected president.

By the time a new president is in the White House, Petraeus would have already served several months as the head of Central Command. The position is usually a two-year term, but the president and the secretary of Defense can ask the commander to stay on longer. Some Central Commanders, such as John Abizaid, have served for four years.

Petraeus’s fate could be determined as soon as Obama would take office. The senator said that, once sworn in, he would immediately give his secretary of Defense and military commanders a new mission: ending the war in Iraq.

At a hearing on Iraq policy in April, Petraeus avoided to say whether he would implement a withdrawal plan should the new president ask him to do so. He also did not say whether he would resign if he did not agree with such a request.

“I would back up and ask, What’s the mission? What’s the desired end-state?” he said in response to a question posed by Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.).

The general later said, “Let me state up front that I absolutely support the idea of civilian control of the military. We do not work for ourselves. We take orders, and we follow them.”

Obama would have to have serious objections and doubts over the general’s ability to ask for his resignation as soon as he takes office, defense experts said. Forcing a popular general to resign could be a risky move.

However, Petraeus could decide to resign himself.

“A loyal general follows the president and if he does not agree, he will step down,” said John Isaacs with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. “It depends what the policy is and how Petraeus feels about it.”