Five stars for Petraeus?

Gen. David Petraeus, the miliary leader who managed to achieve the seemingly impossible task of turning the tide in Iraq, wasn't just the best person to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as commander in Afghanistan, says D.B. Grady in The Atlantic. "He is, quite literally, the only man for the job." Petraeus has "taken a bullet, been awarded Valor medals, and doesn't vote so as not to get dragged into the undertow of Washington politics." He is in the unique position of being able to "discuss the conflict without being second-guessed or dismissed out of hand as a partisan hack." In this context, President Obama should give Petraeus the mandate he deserves. An excerpt:

"Petraeus is the Army. He is the war. The fate of the region is in his hands.

For that reason, and because President Obama has recommitted this nation to war in Afghanistan and the continued campaign in Iraq, General Petraeus should be promoted to General of the Army, and given a fifth star.

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He would be the first man to hold that rank since the revered Omar Bradley in 1950... In practice it wouldn't change the job of General Petraeus. But it would not only show that President Obama believes in Petraeus — that he's not simply throwing America's best general into the arena for political expediency — but would also reassure soldiers and civilians alike that this White House expects this man to win."

Read the full article at The Atlantic.