THE TRUTH EMERGES – AT 9:10 A.M. ET:  When General David Petraeus was asked to leave his four-star rank, put on civvies and become director of Central Intelligence, many Petraeus watchers were baffled.  Was this a promotion?  An inspired naming of a successful general to an agency that often needs better guidance...or were the Obamans trying to shut Petraeus up?

If you checked (c), the shut-up option, you may well be right, according to reporting out today.  From The Politico:

Despite overwhelming popularity in Congress, retired General David Petraeus will be sworn in privately Tuesday as the director of the CIA because the White House wants to lower his profile amid concerns that he could be a loose cannon in the administration.

“Silent is what some in the White House want the well-connected former four-star general to remain,” writes the Associated Press Tuesday, according to three former and current U.S. officials.

White House officials who disagreed with Petraeus on a counterinsurgency troop surge are concerned that the former four-star general will use his influence with the media and Capitol Hill to pursue policies at odds with their goals.

Look, let's also add the bottom line here:  The White House fears Petraeus, who could have resigned from the Army and sought the GOP presidential nomination, which he probably would have gotten.  He'd then be seen as a modern-day Eisenhower, who ended the Republican Party's 20-year absence from the White House when he won election in 1952. 

Petraeus, who retired last week after 37 years in the military, was confirmed as CIA chief by a resounding vote of 94-to-0, an overwhelming show of support from what has been a divided Senate.

Gen. Petraeus’ influence was seen when he helped to persuade President Barack Obama to increase troops in Afghanistan - similar to Petraeus’ successful counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq - over the doubts of other advisors, such as Vice President Joe Biden.

COMMENT:  I'm just speculating, but I suspect that Petraeus is heading for oblivion.   The Dems are not going to let this man breath, let alone think.  They don't like military men to begin with, and they know that Petraeus is the most popular soldier of his time.

I wonder how long Petraeus will last before he realizes he's been sidelined.

September 6, 2011