Book: Petraeus Rejected Advice to Quit as NATO Commander
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DoD photo by Cherie Cullen/Released(WASHINGTON) — Former Gen. David Petraeus was reportedly not happy earlier this year when President Obama announced plans to draw down 33,000 U.S. forces from Afghanistan by the end of next summer.
In fact, a new biography, All In: The Education of General David Petraeus, claims that a conservative writer urged Petraeus to resign as commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan over his opposition to the withdrawal.
It would have been a particularly controversial move on Petraeus’ part since he had already accepted the job of CIA director to replace Leon Panetta, who was named the new secretary of defense.
However, author Paula Broadwell writes that the former four-star general ultimately rejected the advice of Max Boot and stayed on at his post until he became head of the spy agency, figuring that quitting would look like a “selfish, grandstanding move with huge political ramifications.”
Boot had promised to run a Petraeus for President campaign, which the former general also had no stomach for.
Meanwhile, the CIA issued a statement Thursday disputing Broadwell’s depiction of events, saying, “Director Petraeus has publicly stated that he never contemplated resignation.”
All In: The Education of General David Petraeus will hit bookstores next month.
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