Nomination of LTG Odierno for MNF-I commander

Petraeus says by fall he may seek Iraq troop cuts

Once again, the military is rewarding failure. Some prior examples:

1. LTG Chiarelli to MNC-I commander after mixed results as 1st Cavalry Division commander in Baghdad.

2. GEN Casey to Army Chief of Staff after a numbing performance as MNF-I commander.

3. LTG Odierno to MNC-I commander after using heavy handed tactics and overflooding the prisons at Abu Gharib when he was commander of 4th Infantry Division.

Now, once again, LTG Odierno and LTG Chiarelli have been nominated for promotions. LTG Odierno has been nominated for promotion to general and to become MNF-I commander, meanwhile LTG Chiarelli has been nominated for promotion to general and to Army Vice Chief of Staff. How much does one have to fail at the top levels in the Army in order to be forced to retire? LTG Odierno and GEN Casey are lauded as counterinsurgency converts, but where were they before counterinsurgency became the term de jour in military parlance? They were flooding prisons and getting mixed results as commanders. Wouldn't one expect a career Army officer to recognize an insurgency when he sees one instead of taking years and thousands of American lives? GEN Casey, LTG Odierno, and LTG Chiarelli's wives must run a mean officers' wives club.

GEN Petraeus and LTG Odierno were division commanders under the Peter Principle proving LTG Sanchez when our overarching strategy in Iraq was to kill and capture bandits and denying there was an insurgency... Odierno did exactly what Sanchez wanted - kill and capture bandits. Odierno excelled at the capture part and overflooded Abu Gharib (remember that?), while GEN Petraeus did his own thing up north (think back to the often-mocked "winning hearts and minds" mantra). Then Odierno was promoted to lieutenant general and suddenly became a counterinsurgency convert under his former peer Petraeus after a career as a "big guns go boom" artillery officer. On a side note to those who hate "legs," how is Odierno non-airborne qualified after spending years at Ft. Bragg? Meanwhile, a PhD holding, Tal-Afar saving, counterinsurgency expert like COL McMaster was passed over for brigadier general twice (H.R. McMaster Passed Over - Reverse Peter Principle?), and a career green beret like LTG McChrystal is not given MNC-I or MNF-I command. GEN Petraeus can only do so much with a sloppy joe officer corps above the rank of the few good captains that stayed in the Army. I wonder what maneuver Odierno, the inadaptable artillery officer, will make after MNF-I command? I wonder how many hours a day he will pull GEN Petraeus away from his strategic tasks (e.g. drug trade, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, etc.) as CENTCOM commander asking him exactly what to do every step of the way as MNF-I commander?

**NOTE: This piece was written prior to COL McMaster being picked up for brigadier general (See H.R. McMaster Leads New Crop of Generals) and immediately after it was leaked that LTG Odierno was being nominated for MNF-I command