By Jiri Valenta with Leni Friedman Valenta

                                                         February 15, 2017

                           Unafraid, Bi-Partisan, Uphold U.S. and Freedom

Unsurprisingly, in light of Michael Flynn’s resignation, there is a heated, nationwide debate ongoing over President’s replacement of Flynn and its significance. We forget Ronald Reagan went through several NSAs during his tenure. 

As during WWII and the turmoil that followed, we are living in times of great disorder and chaos. For Trump, General David Petraeus would be a uniquely excellent choice as NSA for these dangerous times. A warrior, but also a military intellectual, he possesses multiple capabilities in both the arts of war and the peace making.

He also has specific experience in the Middle East. In 2003 his 101st contributed centrally during the fight to Baghdad and then air assaulted north to Mosul, where he and his troopers pioneered a strategy of winning minds and hearts of Iraqi people. He returned after that year to establish the so-called train and equip effort as a three-star general. His powerful manual on counter -insurgency, written together with then-LtGen James “Mad Dog” Mattis, was put to good use when Petraeus admirably commanded the 2007-8 Surge in Iraq. If Petraeus is appointed, the troika of 4-star generals Mattis-Petraeus-and DHS John Kelley would be the bedrock of our national security apparatus.

Petraeus has no close relations with Russian counterparts. And he is unusually nonpartisan-- like Ike. During the 2016 election he neither became a cheerleader for Hillary, as did his colleague General Allen, nor a cheerleader for Trump, like Flynn, declaring “lock her up.” And he has stayed very much in the mix, testifying for three hours most recently two weeks ago before the HASC on “The State of the World.”

With the strongest support among both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, Petraeus would likely pose no confirmation problem – and, in fact, no confirmation is needed for National Security Advisor. Generally well regarded by the Democrats, he is also admired by another national hero, prominent Republican Senator John McCain. Thus he could help to smooth out uneasy relations between the president and the senator. 

David has one other essential quality --a propensity to speak his mind to his superiors. A military intellectual, he had a 14-month stint as CIA Director, 2011-1012. His resignation because of his affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, a fellow West Point graduate and reserve intelligence officer with whom he was later shown to have improperly shared his personal journals, which contained classified material – albeit none of which she included in her biography. 

Again, none of what was improperly shared appeared in her book, entitled All In. In fact, West Point military intellectual, now-Brigadier General (Ret) Michael Meese, Petraeus’ deputy chief of staff in Afghanistan, reviewed the manuscript before publication to confirm that it did not contain any possible national security secrets. Damn good book! The naysayers should read it.

Unlike Hillary, the general did not use an illegal private server with thousands of negligent official e-mails, that surely revealed our national security secrets to our friends and foes alike.

 We also know that unlike Hillary acolyte, former Deputy Director of the CIA Mike Morell, he was not enthusiastic about the famous, scrubbed talking points prepared for Susan Rice on Benghazi-gate. He did not reveal any of this to us, yet from other reliable sources it appears he objected to them. Was that why he was replaced by the author of those alterations, Mike Morell?

We also know the general stood up to his commander-in-chief, Barack Obama, when the President, for political reasons, tried to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan prematurely due to coming 2012 election. He objected even more vehemently than Defense Secretary Robert Gates!

 Petraeus admits he made a mistake with Broadwell. Yet his was mistake of the heart, something we used to tolerate, as in the case of another brilliant commander -- General Ike Eisenhower. Ike’s affair with his Scottish military chauffeur, Kay Sommersby, was well known. Imagine if FDR had treated Ike as Obama did David. We might have jeopardized Operation Overlord -- the 1944 Liberation of Europe

General Petraeus, the patriotic soldier believes that if an American president calls upon you to serve the country, you don’t have any choice but to accept. If Trump is wise, he will make the call.

Prominent national security expert, Dr. Jiri Valenta is the author/editor of several books, and a long-standing member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He, with his co-writer, Yaleite Leni Friedman Valenta, editor-in-chief of their institute’s website, jvlv.net, is working on a forthcoming book, Four Follies of American Foreign Policy-Making.