Experts say Petraeus is good fit as CIA boss
Apr-29-2011

Army Gen. David Petraeus, arguably the most iconic battle commander of his generation, helped to bring the U.S. military out from under the shadow of Vietnam and to show that America can successfully wage war against elusive enemies, military experts say.
In leaving behind the military to take over the CIA this fall, Petraeus, 58, walks away from a career during which he has been credited by politicians and military members with turning around the war in Iraq in 2007, when it looked nearly hopeless.
"There was an entire command structure in Iraq, all executing a flawed strategy, and he had to turn that around almost immediately," said Jack Keane, a retired four-star general and architect of the surge strategy in Iraq.
Petraeus arrived in Iraq with White House orders to overhaul the strategy. Backed by an additional 30,000 troops, the surge was designed to protect civilians and use that as a basis for building security.
Petraeus had little time to produce results. Sectarian warfare was spreading, al-Qaida was growing in strength in places, and the American public was war-weary.

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