General Petraeus As Romney's VP Pick?

At least that's what Drudge is reporting that President Obama is saying:

President Obama whispered to a top fundraiser this week that he believes GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney wants to name Gen. David Petraeus to the VP slot!

"The president wasn't joking," the insider explains to the DRUDGE REPORT.

A Petraeus drama has been quietly building behind the scenes.

Romney is believed to have secretly met with the four-star general in New Hampshire.

This gives rise to interesting possibilities.

President Obama could very well be saying this because General Petraeus, now essentially neutralized as the powerless head of our CIA, came to him directly, told him he had been approached and that he was considering it. This would be consistent with General Petraeus' character.

Or the president might simply have been speculating or lying, which again would be consistent with his character.

A Petraeus pick would provide Governor Romeny with an intelligent, respected and experienced running mate and a vice president, like Dick Cheney, with substantial experience in foregn affairs and national security who could perform Cheney's role in being the president's go to guy in critical foreign situations.

On the other hand, not being used to the political arena, I wonder how well he'd adapt to the necessary role of campaigner and attack dog. And of course, the Obama campaign would emphasize his connections with 'Bush's wars.' Let's not forget that when MoveOn ran that disgusting 'Petraeus, Betray us' , not one Democrat running for the nomination, including Hillary Clinton. Joe Biden and of course, Senator Barack Obama were willing to condemn it. Neither was Senate Majority leader Harry Reid.




In fact, Senator Obama, Senator Clinton and Senator Biden actively insulted General Petraeus when he testified before Congress in Washington, calling him a liar to his face.

A lot of people have forgotten that.

I also have my own questions regarding the COIN strategy, which proved useful chiefly in successfully quieting things down to allow an orderly retreat in Iraq. Given that General Petraeus, General Ordiano and the others who contributed to this outcome were given a mess to clean up not of their making, they did amazingly well, but I have concerns over whether they consider that a model for the war on jihad we're engaged in or whether they were simply making the best of a bad situation following limitations ordered by the Bush Administration.

Actually, if Romney wants a respected and accomplished military figure to run with, I'd suggest retired General Tommy Franks. Aside from lacking any baggage from the Bush years, he's an outstanding and eloquent speaker and a resident of Florida, where's he's quite popular.