Senate unanimously confirms Petraeus - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Senate unanimously confirms Petraeus

The Senate voted 99-0 to send Army Gen. David Petraeus to Afghanistan to take charge of combat operations there.

While there are disagreements about strategy, especially about whether it is wise to set a firm date to begin withdrawing troops, no questions were raised about whether Petraeus, tapped by President Obama to succeed Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, is the right person for the job.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Petraeus “is quite simply one of the finest military leaders our country has ever produced.”

“Gen. Petraeus literally wrote the book on counterinsurgency,” said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the armed services committee chairman.

“As commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and the U.S. Central Command, he has served his country with great distinction at a time of great need. We are fortunate that once again he has answered his nation’s call, and we are grateful for the sacrifices that he, his wife, Holly, and his family are willing to once again accept,” Levin said.

“Gen. Petraeus is a pivotal part of our effort to succeed in Afghanistan — and in our broader effort to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida — and he has my full confidence,” President Obama said in a statement Wednesday. “The Senate’s quick action and Gen. Petraeus’ unrivaled experience will ensure we do not miss a beat in our strategy to break the Taliban’s momentum and build Afghan capacity.”

Levin and McCain also both praised McChrystal, who has announced he will retire after being relieved of command after giving an interview to Rolling Stone magazine that included criticism of the Obama administration and its policy on Afghanistan.

McCain called McChrystal “a man of unrivaled integrity.”

“Few understand fully how Gen. McChrystal systematically dismantled al-Qaida in Iraq or how he bean to turn around our failing war in Afghanistan,” McCain said. “These achievements, and others like them, are the true measure of Stanley McChrystal, and they will earn him an honored place in our history.”

Said Levin, “Gen. McChrystal is someone who has the deep respect of all who know him.”

Those comments appear to put an end to talk that the Senate might prevent McChrystal from being able to retire as a four-star officer.