When hopeful Americans talk about Gen. David Petraeus, the new top U.S. military commander in Iraq, their thoughts turn wistfully to military heroes of yore.
He is the Ulysses S. Grant of the Bush administration, the general who can deliver a victory in a seemingly hopeless campaign. He is the modern-day Gen. William T. Sherman, a visionary tactician whose effort to secure Baghdad will be as pivotal to the American success in Iraq as the march through Atlanta was to the Union's triumph in the Civil War. He is "the closest thing the Army has to its own Lawrence of Arabia," wrote Esquire magazine, evoking the British officer who helped the Arabs overthrow Ottoman dominion.
Petraeus may be Washington's best bet to lead U.S. troops in their latest attempt to pacify Iraq. His Princeton doctorate in international relations, his authorship last year of the military's counterinsurgency doctrine, and his success -- albeit temporary -- in bringing post-invasion stability to the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in 2003, when he commanded the 101st Airborne Division, distinguish Petraeus as the ultimate warrior-scholar. He wrote his doctoral thesis on the lessons learned in Vietnam, served in Bosnia after the civil war there and oversaw the initial reconstruction of Iraqi security forces. Many military officers, legislators and experts say he is probably the finest leader in the U.S. military today...
Can Petaeus Lead U.S. to Victory?
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