Odierno called "best choice" for Iraq Command

From a fighter to a thinker according to this article in the USA Today:

As commander of the 4th Infantry Division in Iraq in 2003, Odierno
was known for emphasizing combat, not building relations with
Iraqis.
"Odierno had a reputation in his first tour as part of the
kick-down-the-doors crew," said Andrew Bacevich, a retired Army colonel and
international relations professor at Boston University. "By the time of his
second tour, he had become a convert to counterinsurgency. My expectation is
that he would hew to the same."

I post this as proof of the adaptability of the modern All-Volunteer Army, as apposed to some who would prefer to go to an old style conscript force. In particular, the Vietnam era fighting force too often emphasized firepower over tactics, which as we see here, Ordieno and his peers were forced to reverse themselves from to survive in a new era of insurgency conflict.

More on this:

Good News for Iraq Max Boot

Better for America Thomas Barnett (as the author reveals, we will now see what happens when Petraeus gets control of the often faltering Afghan campaign, plus the troubled Pakistan theater.)
Petraeus to CENTCOM Bill Kristol

Battlefield Promotions Wall Street Journal