BARACK Obama has warned he will not tolerate dissent over management of the Afghan war.
Obama has handed control of the conflict to the US general who rescued the military operation in Iraq for George W. Bush.
The President yesterday appointed General David Petraeus as commander of US and allied forces in Afghanistan, determined to ensure a smooth transition after sacking General Stanley McChrystal.
The command for General Petraeus is the second time he has come to the aid of a president confronting a difficult, unpopular war after he led the successful Iraq surge in 2007.
The general will leave his post as head of US Central Command, responsible for Iraq and Afghanistan, to concentrate on the war Mr Obama regards as a priority for US security in the battle against al-Qa’ida terrorism.
Mr Obama’s warning against infighting came during a meeting of his war cabinet at the White House that followed his sacking of General McChrystal over disparaging comments about senior administration figures.
According to reports from senior officials, the President accepted that tensions would arise because the conflict was hard but he could not accept “pettiness”.
Mr Obama accepted General McChrystal’s resignation at an earlier private meeting after recalling him from Afghanistan over the comments made in a Rolling Stone magazine interview.
Explaining the sacking publicly, Mr Obama said he had made the right decision in the interests of national security. “The conduct represented in the article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general,” Mr Obama said.
“It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system. And it erodes the trust that’s necessary for our team to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan.”
Mr Obama said the time had come for “all of us” to come together. “I welcome debate among my team, but I won’t tolerate division,” he said.
The appointment of General Petraeus as commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan is a demotion after he had been General McChrystal’s immediate superior and risen above the role of leading the battle in the field.
But Mr Obama linked the Petraeus appointment to his suitability for the role, drawing on his intimate knowledge of the counter-insurgency strategy used in the conflict and experience in the region. “This is a change in personnel but it is not a change in policy,” he said.
General McChrystal’s position became untenable after he insulted members of the President’s war cabinet, including Vice-President Joe Biden, White House envoy to Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and US ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry.
Members of General McChrystal’s staff said their boss had failed to connect with Mr Obama from when he was appointed a year ago. The general’s staff also called Mr Obama’s National Security Adviser, James Jones, a “clown” and said their boss considered Mr Holbrooke a “wounded animal”.
Three senior US senators yesterday urged Mr Obama to take the opportunity of a shake-up at the top of the military command in Afghanistan to overhaul personnel in his “dysfunctional” civilian team as well.
Republicans John McCain and Lindsey Graham and independent Joe Lieberman criticised General McChrystal’s behaviour as unacceptable, but said the civilian relationship with Afghan President Hamid Karzai needed repair.
“If we don’t change quickly, we’re going to lose a war we can’t afford to lose,” Senator Graham said.
Senator McCain suggested bringing back Ryan Crocker, a former US ambassador to Iraq, to work with General Petraeus in Kabul.
Senator Lieberman said unity was missing in the military-civilian relationship to prosecute the war.
Mr Obama said he had a duty to ensure that no diversion complicated the vital mission being carried out in Afghanistan.
Referring to General McChrystal’s behaviour, he said: “That includes adherence to a strict code of conduct. The strength and greatness of our military is rooted in the fact that this code applies equally to newly enlisted privates and to the general officer who commands them.”
General Petraeus, 57, is known for his personal fitness but had treatment last year for prostate cancer. He claims to be cured. Last week during questioning from Senator McCain during a congressional hearing on the Afghan war, General Petraeus collapsed in his chair. He explained later that he was dehydrated.
The Petraeus appointment has significance for Australia and its troop commitment of 1550 soldiers in Afghanistan. On Wednesday, Defence Minister John Faulkner signalled that Australian troops could leave Afghanistan as soon as 2012.
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