US CentCom Commander resigns

James Forsyth 8:36pm

Admiral William Fallon has resigned as CentCom commander over a magazine profile--that he cooperated with--that pitted him against the White House’s hawkish Iran rhetoric. In a statement, Fallon said:

"Recent press reports suggesting a disconnect between my views and the president's policy objectives have become a distraction at a critical time and hamper efforts in the Centcom region. And although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there".

Fallon’s resignation is bound to set  off a wave of speculation about an attack on Iran being imminent; the profile that caused him to resign argued that his dismissal would be a sign that the Bush administration was removing an obstacle to attacking Iran before it left office. However, its real policy impact is likely to be on Iraq not Iran. Fallon was an advocate of a rapid draw down. His departure pretty much guarantees that this will not happen while this president is in office, General Petraeus has won that policy battle. It also means that if a Democrat is elected, it is unlikely that they will be able to cite the support of the CentCom commander for an accelerated withdrawal.