[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14629-14632]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

NOMINATIONS OF GENERAL DAVID H. PETRAEUS AND LIEUTENANT GENERAL RAYMOND 
                        T. ODIERNO TO BE GENERAL

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
proceed to executive session and consider the following nominations, 
which the clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read the nominations of Gen. David H. 
Petraeus and Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, Department of the Army, to be 
general.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
  The Senator from Michigan.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, we have these two nominations before us. I 
understand the vote on the two nominations will take place at 2 p.m. or 
thereabouts.
  The Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously approved the 
nomination of General Petraeus for reappointment to the grade of 
general and to be commander of the U.S. Central Command, and also the 
nomination of LTG Raymond Odierno for appointment to the grade of 
general to be commander of the Multinational Force Iraq. The 
confirmation of these nominations will provide a continuity of senior 
military leadership for the region and for Operation Iraqi Freedom. 
This continuity in U.S. military leadership will be helpful in working 
with regional and Iraqi political and military leaders.
  General Petraeus brings a large amount of experience and leadership 
to the position of CENTCOM commander. He has served over 30 years in 
the military, including 3 tours of duty in Iraq, first as commander of 
the 101st Airborne Division, then as commander of the Multinational 
Security Transition Command Iraq, and since February of 2007, as 
commander of the Multinational Force Iraq. As the Multinational Force 
Iraq commander, General Petraeus has led a shift in tactics in Iraq, 
helping to calm, hopefully permanently, very violent sectarian 
conflict.
  If confirmed as CENTCOM commander, General Petraeus would continue to 
oversee the U.S. troops in Iraq, drawing on his knowledge of the 
situation on the ground and his working relationships with Iraqi 
political and military leaders. He would also be responsible for 
addressing an increasingly violent insurgency in Afghanistan and other 
important national security interests throughout the CENTCOM region.
  General Odierno is well qualified for his new duties, with 32 years 
of uniformed service, including 2 tours in Iraq, first as commander of 
the 4th Infantry Division, and until recently as commander, 
Multinational Corps Iraq, in which he worked directly under the command 
of General Petraeus. He has assisted the change in operational approach 
in Iraq toward counterinsurgency. He understands that Iraqis must 
achieve political reconciliation to unite their country and to provide 
more effective governance for Iraq. He understands the importance of 
and is committed to increasing the Iraqi security forces technical 
capability, professionalism, evenhandedness, and full

[[Page 14630]]

integration so they can eventually assume total and effective 
responsibility for their own nation's stability. He understands the 
recent gains in reducing violence, controlling militias, and rejection 
of al-Qaida must be supported and expanded by an Iraqi Government which 
grows more capable and is more attuned to meeting the needs of the 
Iraqi people. And most importantly, General Odierno understands the 
necessity for Iraqi political leaders to take responsibility for their 
own country--to take responsibility politically, economically, and 
militarily.
  So our country, I believe, is indebted to the service of General 
Petraeus and General Odierno for their willingness to continue that 
service, and we are also indebted to their families for the sacrifices 
those families endure when their two loved ones spend so much time in 
such difficult areas.
  I urge my colleagues to support these two nominations.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Virginia.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I wish to inform the chairman that I shall 
speak myself, and Senators Sessions, Chambliss, and Graham also hope to 
be recognized. I have inquired at the desk, and there is some 
flexibility in our time here this morning, and we will go from one side 
to the other if Senator Levin has colleagues who are going to speak.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on that point, what is the time situation?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the order, there is 20 minutes equally 
divided.
  Mr. LEVIN. And how much time did I use?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority side has 6 minutes 34 seconds, 
and the Republican side has 9 minutes 24 seconds.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I reserve the remainder of my time. I have 
no objection to Senator Warner's yielding to the Senators he has 
identified, or other Senators speaking beyond that 9 minutes, or 
whatever time he has. But I will have to reserve the remainder of my 
time, because I think there may be speakers on my side who may oppose 
the nominations, and I want to protect them if they do. So I ask that 
same courtesy then be agreed to by the good Senator from Virginia, if 
there is additional time needed on our side for speakers.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, subject to my leadership, I will certainly 
recommend that be done.
  Mr. President, very simply, two of America's finest sons are before 
this body with the very important responsibility entrusted by the 
Founding Fathers as they wrote the Constitution of the United States; 
namely, that the Senate shall give advice and consent. I have had the 
privilege through my lifetime to be associated with many senior 
officers of all branches of our military. I say unreservedly, these are 
two of the most extraordinary that I have been privileged to know and 
work with in my long career.
  On many trips to Afghanistan and to Iraq with the distinguished 
chairman of the committee--we so often travel together--on a number of 
those occasions we worked directly with General Petraeus and General 
Odierno. Therefore, they both have my strongest endorsement, and I 
congratulate them individually and I also congratulate their families. 
These are two fine officers, and their families have participated in 
their careers and backed them. If you look at the length of service 
that each has had in four deployed regions, most specifically Iraq, it 
has been a very extensive period of time, and the consequences on the 
family are often difficult to bear. But the families have stood by 
these fine officers through these long deployments.
  Both nominees have had extraordinary experience, and therefore I 
anticipate we will have a very positive confirmation by the Senate. 
They are highly experienced, indeed specifically trained. I sort of 
edited that word into my remarks because they have served a number of 
times in Iraq and moved up to higher responsibilities--in the case of 
General Odierno, and in General Petraeus, he takes on responsibility 
for the entire region. But he is magnificently trained to do so.
  Further, as we approach, again, our constitutional system by which we 
change Presidents, there is a continuity that these two officers offer 
by virtue of serving in these positions, if it is the will of the next 
President. That is invaluable in this region. That is because, as the 
distinguished occupant of the chair and many others know, the cultural 
situation in this part of the world is a very challenging one to fully 
understand and appreciate; to see that our Armed Forces act with them, 
work with them in such a way as to achieve the goals but at the same 
time protect our Armed Forces.
  I say ``with'' because the nations of Iraq and Afghanistan are now 
sovereign nations. As such, we are there by consent of that sovereignty 
to work with their forces.
  I also add that I don't know that I have ever experienced a dimension 
in contemporary times where the professional officers have had to work 
so very closely with other members of the executive branch, notably the 
National Security Council and the Department of State, working hand in 
hand.
  The current Ambassador in Iraq, Ambassador Crocker, is well known in 
the Senate, and I believe extremely admired and respected for the 
services he has rendered. He has been a partner with General Petraeus 
in working through their individual responsibilities, coming before the 
Congress jointly to make their reports. They know the region, they know 
the background, and they are fully qualified to undertake these 
responsibilities.
  At this point, I would like to yield the floor to my other 
colleagues. I may have a few closing remarks.
  I see the distinguished Senator from Georgia, a member of the Senate 
Armed Services Committee.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia is recognized.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, Senator Warner, Chairman Levin, thanks 
for getting these nominations up in short order.
  I rise to speak in favor of the nominations of GEN David Petraeus to 
be Commander, United States Central Command, and LTG Raymond Odierno to 
be General and Commander, Multi-National Forces--Iraq.
  Over the past few years under the leadership of these two men we have 
seen vast improvements in the conditions on the ground in Iraq, the 
quality and number of the Iraqi security forces, and increasing 
ownership of the political process and issues facing their country by 
the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people. These accomplishments are 
due to the efforts of our young men and women in uniform who have 
sacrificed to defend our values and build democracy in Iraq. General 
Petreaus and General Odierno have led these men and women and they have 
done so ably, wisely, and with integrity and professionalism. They are 
without question the right men for the jobs for which they have been 
nominated.
  Our young soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines in Iraq and 
Afghanistan have had the opportunity to be led by some of the greatest 
military leadership we have witnessed in our era. General Petraeus and 
General Odierno embody our military values and leadership principles in 
the tradition of great military leaders who have come before them. 
These two combat veterans, who between them have served our Nation in 
uniform for over 60 years, have demonstrated that they have the skills 
and commitment to carry out and complete our mission in Iraq and 
safeguard our 150,000 servicemembers in Iraq.
  With the right leadership--which these two generals can provide--Iraq 
will continue to benefit from the implementation of our current 
military and security strategy. I feel honored to have witnessed the 
efforts of these two soldiers and am certain that their leadership will 
continue to successfully guide our efforts in Iraq.
  I have had the opportunity to visit one on one with both General 
Petraeus and Lieutenant General Odierno on the multiple trips I made to 
Iraq. I often refer to David Petraeus as being the best soldier that 
the U.S. Army has today. General Odierno is right there with him. They 
have the greatest men

[[Page 14631]]

and women serving under them. Without their outstanding leadership, 
certainly we would not have been able to accomplish what we have in 
Iraq over the past year and a half.
  The first time I saw David Petraeus in action in Iraq was while 
training Iraqi security forces. He did a great job correlating the 
efforts of the Iraqi military on the ground with the security forces. 
He had a way of directing the Iraqi military commanders in a way that 
was extremely unusual, very positive, and very professional.
  Today, what we are seeing as a result of the efforts of David 
Petraeus is an Iraqi military that is growing stronger, more confident 
and in the short term, is going to be in a much better position than 
certainly they are even today of protecting the citizens of Iraq from 
external sources. They will also help the security forces provide 
domestic security for Iraqi citizens.
  General Odierno has made great sacrifices by being away from his 
family for so long. He just returned from Iraq. Now we are asking him--
and he has graciously committed, once again, for the benefit of service 
to our country--to return to Iraq to be in the position of commander on 
the ground. He is truly a great individual and certainly his record in 
the military speaks for itself.
  Both of these men deserve our utmost respect and certainly a strong 
vote in this body confirming their positions.
  In closing, let me say a commitment to the military is a family 
commitment. Both General Petraeus and General Odierno have made great 
sacrifices being away from their families for extended periods of 
time--not just while they have been serving our country in Iraq and 
Afghanistan but certainly previous to that time also. I do know they 
have been away from home for an extended period of time. Without the 
great support of their families they would not have been as successful 
as they have. I salute their families as well as saluting them both.
  I urge this body to give a strong and resounding vote in favor of 
these two men for the positions for which they have respectively been 
nominated.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. WARNER. I thank the Senator from Georgia. He is a strong voice on 
the Senate Armed Services Committee. His views with regard to the 
qualifications of these two officers with whom he has worked over these 
many years are of great value to the Senate.
  Mr. President, I see the presence on the floor of our distinguished 
colleague, another member of the committee, Senator Sessions.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama is recognized.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I thank Senator Warner. I would share a 
few thoughts. You might ask why is it that generals throughout our 
history, particularly successful generals, have been as popular as they 
have been? I think it is because they are called upon to lead our 
soldiers in a life-and-death struggle. And at given times in history, 
some people's talents and gifts and understanding of the nature of the 
combat are such that they can bring us to success with the least 
possible cost and the least number of lives lost. I believe--not that 
other generals are not as good or as decent people--but at certain 
times certain people have those capabilities.
  In General Petraeus we are fortunate to have one of our finest 
commanders. We are particularly fortunate that his gifts and graces and 
talents are such that they are perfectly suited to the type of combat 
in which we have been involved. He was a commander of the 101st 
Airborne. He is a warrior. He knows the nature of combat. He is a 
sensitive and decent person, but he understands the nature of combat 
and the importance of victory. He knows how to impose a cost on an 
enemy and minimize the losses to the American side. I think we are 
lucky to have him.
  He finished at the top of his class at West Point, one of their 
outstanding graduates. He was No. 1 in his class at the Army's Command 
and General Staff College. He has a Ph.D. from Princeton University in 
international relations. He has taught that subject as well.
  When I first met him he was in Iraq. The 101st had taken Mosul in the 
north. He had a superb grasp of the situation. He was reaching out to 
reconcile the disparate groups. He introduced me to the town council. 
One member was a Kurd and one was a Christian and one was a Sunni and 
one was a Shia. It was an effort that he understood was important: to 
reconcile the differences there. After his departure, things did not go 
as well as when he was there.
  The second time I met him in Iraq was when he was in charge of 
training the local Iraqi police and military. President Bush had asked 
him to go back and do that important task. It was a critically 
important task, the President believed, and General Petraeus was one of 
the most talented people we had, so he was asked to go back. He worked 
in that capacity for a year.
  He came home and then wrote the counterinsurgency manual for the 
Department of Defense. This thick manual is a doctrinal statement on 
how to confront and defeat an insurgency, a very important skill at 
this time in history. The ink was hardly dry on that document when 
President Bush and the Secretary of Defense asked him to go back to 
Iraq and command our forces.
  So in February of 2007 we confirmed him by an overwhelming vote to go 
back and lead our forces in Iraq. During that time the surge was 
debated, and the Congress overwhelmingly, in a bipartisan way, 
confirmed General Petraeus to go to Iraq. And later in May we voted to 
fund that surge. The phrase often used was: to give General Petraeus a 
chance. We wanted to give him a chance to employ new tactics a and more 
classic counterinsurgency doctrine, in which he was an expert. As a man 
who had already spent 2 years in Iraq, he was already closely attuned 
to all of the difficulties in that country. He went back and had 
extraordinary success.
  General Odierno has also been there all along, and played an 
instrumental role in the U.S. military's success. I had the opportunity 
to visit with him twice in Iraq, an extremely important man. In the 
Weekly Standard, Frederick Kagan and Kimberly Kagan, very astute 
observers of the scene in Iraq, referred to General Odierno, as: ``The 
Patton of Counterinsurgency.'' They said:

       With a sequence of brilliant offenses, Raymond Odierno 
     adopted the Petraeus Doctrine into a successful operational 
     art.

  So we are lucky to have a good team here. The Kagans refer to 
generals coming in pairs. They noted: Eisenhower and Patton, Grant and 
Sherman, Napoleon and Davout, Marlborough and Eugene, Caesar and 
Labienus. Well, I do not know why he did not mention Lee and Jackson in 
that group. But generals do often come in pairs, and this pair is 
unique.
  Now General Petraeus will be moving up to command the Central 
Command. Of course his most critical areas are Iraq and Afghanistan. 
General Odierno will be replacing General Petraeus, and I believe we 
could not have a better circumstance from a command point of view. I 
could not be happier with the team we have there. I will note that this 
May, under their leadership, we saw the fewest U.S. deaths of any month 
since the war began, and July is currently on pace to see even fewer. 
Remarkable progress has happened. We should confirm these people and be 
most thankful that we have them as leaders.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank our distinguished colleague from 
Alabama, a member of the committee. He is a very strong voice. I only 
add to your observations, which are very accurate about the situation 
in Iraq, we all share a concern about the worsening situation in 
Afghanistan, and that will become General Petraeus's top 
responsibility. We are fortunate that he is eminently qualified and has 
studied the culture of the region, having understood the complexity, 
the geopolitical situation with regard to Pakistan and Iran. He is 
eminently qualified to step in and be the commander of those forces in 
that region.

[[Page 14632]]


  Mr. SESSIONS. I agree. I note he has a Ph.D. from Princeton in 
international relations. He has taught that. So you are right. He has 
the combat experience as well as the geopolitical expertise.
  Mr. WARNER. But his boots are on the ground now, not writing 
dissertations.
  Mr. President, I see our distinguished colleague from South Carolina.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I wish to thank Senator Levin and the 
committee for moving these names forward so we can get these two fine 
men into new jobs. The committee worked very decisively and quickly, 
and we are going to have a vote here soon. I hope we can get as close 
to 100 as possible.
  My observation about these two officers is very similar to what 
Senator Sessions said. But having met them and spent some time with 
them in theater, and I got to know them pretty well, I need to say 
something on their behalf, that they could have not done this without 
the people under their command.
  I have spent a lot of time in Iraq, like many Members here. The 
soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, members of the Coast Guard, every 
civilian force, have performed magnificently. General Petraeus came up 
with a new strategy. Quite frankly, before he came along we were 
losing.
  You can talk about Iraq in any terms you want to, political or 
otherwise. But it was my view that the situation on the ground in Iraq, 
before this new strategy, was going to result in losing, that we were 
losing ground against the insurgency and that General Petraeus and 
General Odierno came up with a new way of doing business, getting the 
troops out into the field, the joint security stations, where our 
soldiers would live with the Iraqi police and the army.
  This has transformed the Iraqi Army, and the police are getting 
better. You see this in Basra, you see this in Mosul where the capacity 
of the Iraqi Army is a lot better than it was the last year in terms of 
the capability and numbers. It was a direct result of changing 
strategy, getting out from behind the walls, taking the fight to the 
enemy. The Anbar Province strategy, with the Sunnis, the Shiaas turning 
on al-Qaida, was the defining moment in this war. When General Petraeus 
came up with a strategy to try to get the Sunni population to break 
away from al-Qaida by providing better security, that turned the tide 
in Anbar.
  The political progress we have seen with 15 of the 18 benchmarks 
being met by the Maliki government is a direct result of Ambassador 
Crocker and General Petraeus sitting down with the Iraqi leadership and 
doing a lot of hand holding.
  The military side of this is important, but I hope the members of the 
body will appreciate how sophisticated General Petraeus, General 
Odierno, and Ambassador Crocker have been when it comes to the economic 
and political aspects of this. They have put money into projects that 
changed the quality of life in Iraq, that got people more emboldened to 
join with the Government. They pushed the Sunnis, the Shiaas, and the 
Kurds to reach political compromise.
  These are two of the most talented politicians I have ever met, even 
though they are in uniform. They are American commanders who were dealt 
a tough hand. And the politics of Iraq they understood as well, I 
believe, as the counterinsurgency problems the military faced. What 
they have brought to the table will go down in history as the most 
successful counterinsurgency operation in the history of warfare. I 
have worked on judicial issues. They provided security to the judges, 
additional capacity in the rule of law area. General Petraeus told me 
early on: The population has to believe in the law, because if they do 
not believe in the Government and the law, they will go to militias.
  So we celebrate the success of these two men. But on their behalf, I 
wish to thank all of those who served under them, because they are the 
ones who made it happen, along with great leadership. We are winning 
now. We have not won yet, but the difference in Iraq before and after 
is stunning. It is for all of us to see--progress politically, 
economically and militarily. I look forward to promoting these two fine 
officers. Hats off to them and all those who serve in Iraq.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank our colleague from South Carolina. 
He is too modest to say it, but I think he has logged as many trips 
into that region as any of us here, very often in the company of 
Senator McCain, who likewise has strong support for both of these 
officers. I thank the Senator for his work and his important 
contribution to the debate.

                          ____________________