Abazaid to Stay

The top Central Command head and deputy to Gen. Tommy Franks during the capture of Baghdad in 2003, Gen John Abazaid is staying on:

Army Gen. John Abizaid, who has overseen the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since shortly after U.S. forces invaded Iraq three years ago, will stay on for another year, defense officials said Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld recently asked Abizaid to stay for a year beyond this summer, when he will have completed the normal three-year stint as commander, and he agreed, the officials said.

In my opinion he's done a wildly successful job of turning the old Cold War army into an effective counter-insurgency force:

A central feature of Abizaid's approach in Iraq has been forcing the Iraqis to take more responsibility for their security, arguing that the longer U.S. troops carry the heaviest load, the more dependent the Iraqis will become. Rumsfeld often makes the same argument, saying U.S. troops must put more Iraqis in the lead of the fight against the insurgents, even at the risk of seeing them falter or fail.

...Abizaid is generally credited with coining the phrase "Long War" to describe a global struggle against Islamic extremism — a fight that he says includes not only prevailing in Iraq and Afghanistan but also countering ideological support for terrorism globally.

What a relief to have such an far-seeing and effective military leader in charge over there. Remember earlier in the war, I predicted that Abazaid would stand in history as one of America's great post-Cold War captains. This is proof positive. Here's the general's bio.