General Petraeus's War

General Petraeus has lead the Iraqi Coalition forces and authored the recent strategy in Iraq. From January 26 2007 until September 16 2008, Petraeus served as the commanding general of the multinational force in Iraq. He now serves as the Central Command which means that he directs all U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Perpective
Petraeus defines the struggle in Iraq this way, ""This is not the sort of struggle where you take a hill, plant the flag and go home to a victory parade... it's not war with a simple slogan. (BBC News)" Petraeus says the he is pursuing "an Iraq that is at peace with itself, at peace with its neighbors, that has a government that is representative of — and responsive to — its citizenry and is a contributing member of the global community. (NPR News)"

Qualification
Petraeus literally has written the book on counter insurgency and modern combat. In 2004 his book "Lessons of the Iraq War and Its Aftermath" was published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In 2006, his work "Learning Counterinsurgency: Observations from Soldiering in Iraq," was published.

Fame
Petraeus is a very popular public figure. He is often credited with turning the war in Iraq around.
He was recently chosen as one of the world's most influential contemporary leaders by Foreign Policy, Time magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Der Spiegel, GQ Magazine, U.S. News and World Report.

Controversy
The Washington Post has released an article, The Generals' Insurgency, which takes a very critical view of Petraeus's actions in Iraq. The article states that Petraeus has been able to achieve what he calls a victory because he has waterdown America's definition of success in Iraq. Rather than trying to achieve Bush's dream of establishing a thriving democracy, Petraeus aims for peace and stability. The article argues that this, and not any of is actual achievements, is why he is viewed as a success.

According the article, Petraeus consistently bypassed his superiors and dealt directly with the President Bush. By doing this he was able to push his own plan for the war unhindered by military critique and revision. The article blames Petraeus for what it calls the failure of the surge and the prolonged occupation.

My Opinion

President Bush was the Commander and Chief of the military, so Bush allowed Petraeus to bypass senior officers and deal directly with him, that was Bush's decision and responsibility. I think that Petraeus was trying to obey his commander and just doing what any general should. I am sure that he believed in his strategies ability to accomplish the President's objectives. If Petraeus has failed, the ultimate responsibility lies upon the President who picked him to lead the occupation.