Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright is no longer in the running to succeed Adm. Mike Mullen as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in October. Cartwright is said to have gained President Obama’s trust in 2009 when he argued for a smaller surge in Afghanistan than the one advocated by other top commanders, some of whom were said to have resented his stance.
The Pentagon recently cleared Cartwright of charges that he’d had an affair with a female subordinate, but criticized his handling of the relationship. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey and Gen. Raymond Odierno, former top commander in Iraq, are among those still in the running to succeed Mullen.
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