[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 18, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5602-S5603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             NOMINATION OF MAJOR GENERAL DAVID H. PETRAEUS

  Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I want to spend a few moments to talk 
about the nomination of Major General David H. Petraeus to be 
Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army.
  I believe President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld have made an 
excellent decision to promote General Petraeus and assign him to chief 
of the Office of Security Transition in Iraq. I congratulate General 
Petraeus and wholeheartedly support his nomination.
  I am pleased that the Senate has moved so quickly on his nomination. 
We received it 2 weeks ago and he was confirmed yesterday. This is 
fitting because last Friday he transferred command of the 101st 
Airborne Division, Air Assault, to his successor at the helm of the 
Screaming Eagles.
  General Petraeus led the 101st Airborne to stunning success in Iraq. 
His division performed superbly in combat, and is responsible for 
bringing Saddam Hussein's two ruthless sons to justice. Unfortunately, 
the division also suffered the largest number of combat casualties in 
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  Equally impressive to the combat performance of the division under 
General Petraeus were the successes in rebuilding the governing 
structures and the hope of the Iraqi people in a significant portion of 
the country. Six days

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after occupying the northern part of Iraq the first meetings were held 
to set up Province Council elections and those elections were held one 
week later. The division worked with Iraqis to quickly restore power, 
water, fuel, transportation, and industry. They set the model for 
cooperating with the local leaders and population to create a stable 
and prosperous Iraq. This all happened because of the leadership of 
General Petraeus.
  I visited General Petraeus and the Screaming Eagles in Iraq earlier 
this year. I saw firsthand the results of his careful preparation and 
skillful execution of a plan to bring order and governance to the 
people of northern Iraq. I was, and remain, impressed by what I saw.
  Because he was so successful leading the 101st Airborne in Iraq, 
General Petraeus has been assigned back to Iraq for the transition of 
power to the interim Iraqi government. I have no doubts that he is the 
right man for the job and will help the Iraqi transition to self-
government proceed smoothly.
  Again, I want to congratulate General Petraeus and wish him well in 
his new assignment. He is blessed with a wonderful family at home who 
will be eagerly awaiting his return. I thank him for his service.

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