Petraeus for President: UK Journo

The American political parties are in shambles, and in the credibility gap that plagues voters and candidates alike, a dark horse is emerging: David Petraeus. The head of Central Command evokes Dwight Eisenhower, because not since Ike's heyday "have the chances of a military man winning the White House been more propitious," writes Toby Harnden, a Brit who serves as the Telegraph's US editor.

"Having masterminded the Iraq surge, the stunning military gambit that seized victory from the jaws of defeat, he is now directing an equally daunting undertaking in Afghanistan," Harnden writes. "Whether as an independent or as Republican, he could be a powerful presidential candidate and a potentially accomplished President." Harnden acknowledges that "Petraeus appears to have no desire to be commander-in-chief," but notes that in 2007, then-senator Barack Obama sounded equally adamant.
(More David Petraeus stories.)