Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, to take over
A day after his disparaging comments about America’s civilian leadership in the Afghan War surfaced in an interview for Rolling Stone magazine, Gen. Stanley McChrystal—the top commander in Afghanistan—has stepped down. President Barack Obama accepted his resignation “with considerable regret” and nominated Gen. David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command. “It is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military and for our country,” Obama said. Earlier, the president also noted that McChrystal’s remarks in Rolling Stone demonstrated poor judgment and undermined the civilian control of the military “at the core of our democratic system.” Obama urged the Senate to quickly confirm Petraeus, who would leave his Central Command position.