Senior Pentagon official: Petraeus "fired up," ready to go

Obama may well find that a move that saved him in June 2010 could complicate his life in July 2011, when Democrats hope the president will be seeking an exit ramp from Afghanistan – especially if Petraeus decides that a stick-it-out strategy is the only way to succeed…

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The CENTCOM commander, currently based in Tampa, was already in Washington for meetings at the Pentagon when the McChrystal situation exploded but reportedly had no heads-up he was being considered as a replacement.

Administration officials say Petraeus was really the only serious choice for the job — a move that will force him to relocate from an American vacation spot to an Afghan war zone — and quickly accepted when Obama offered him McChrystal’s post on Wednesday.

A senior Pentagon official says Petraeus is “fired up” to get to Afghanistan as soon as possible and is looking forward to confirmation hearings as early as next week.

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