Heat now briefly off Obama

President Barack Obama's handling of the "Runaway General" affair was exemplary, and should provide welcome cover from the constant battering he has taken over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

In announcing that he was firing General Stanley McChrystal because "war is bigger than any one man or woman", Obama spoke with grace and generosity about the general's heroism as a military leader until his career-ending display of lack of judgment.

Obama stressed the need for "adherence to a strict code of conduct" which the macho general and his outspoken aides had violated by their dismissive remarks in front of the Rolling Stone reporter.

But his masterstroke was to announce the surprise nomination of General David Petraeus, the commander of US Central Command, to replace McChrystal in Kabul. Petraeus, architect of the troop "surge" in Iraq under President George W. Bush, is lionised in Washington and his appointment, if confirmed as expected by the Senate, would be a step down.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who appealed to Obama to keep McChrystal whose troops are preparing for an offensive on Kandahar, should be mollified by the nomination.

Obama's swift and firm decision, and his presentation of it with Petraeus standing by his side, was positively received in Washington by political friend and foe alike. But Petraeus knows he faces a mammoth struggle.

For although the most headline-catching parts of the Rolling Stone piece concerned the exposure of the rivalries among the President's team running Afghan policy - not to mention the belittling of Vice-President Joe Biden - the most damaging revelations concern the prosecution of an unwinnable war. Taleban violence is rising and June could be the most lethal month for Nato troops even as the surge of 30,000 soldiers recommended by McChrystal pours in.

The much-heralded recapture of the Helmand town of Marja this year is described by McChrystal's aides in Rolling Stone as a "disaster" as the Taleban have returned. As a result, the long-planned counterinsurgency offensive for Kandahar has now been postponed until the northern autumn.

Back home, the war, which is now America's longest, is losing support among key Democrats who are calling for the President to withdraw the troops in July 2011, a deadline set by Obama himself.

Testifying before Congress last week, Petraeus was tackled on the issue by Republican Senator John McCain who believes - as Petraeus did in Iraq - that announcing a withdrawal date only emboldens the enemy. The general explained that the drawdown would depend on the conditions on the ground.

Their substantive exchange before the Senate armed services committee went virtually unreported. What attracted media attention was the general's sudden collapse during his testimony, which was later attributed to dehydration. The Senate invited him back the next day to continue.

"Thank you for the opportunity for a redo hearing after I demonstrated yesterday the importance of following my first platoon sergeant's orders 35 years ago to always stay hydrated," Petraeus said.

He would do well to follow that advice in Kabul. The last thing the Administration needs is a general with the vapours.

- NZ Herald Correspondent