McMaster steps up

A very good sign that

1. He is being asked to speak.
2. He accepted.
   

Iran has been directing assassination operations in Iraq using trained snipers, in some cases killing Iraqi officials opposed to Iran, according to an officer who has recently served as a senior adviser to Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Army Col. H.R. McMaster, who has served multiple tours in Iraq, yesterday described Iran's activities as part of an unofficial talk on the evolution of the Iraq war he delivered at the American Enterprise Institute here. Although he emphasized that "Iraq's communities have largely stopped shooting at each other" and that the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq "is on its way to defeat," he said Iraq remains a "weak state," and that Iranian involvement was intended to keep it so.

Iran's activities are "obvious to anyone who bothers to look into it," and should no longer be "alleged," he said in response to a question.

Send him on tour.

More WaPo related McMaster stuff here.

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UPDATE: ... and he got a star I forgot to mention.

I also forgot teh stoopid.

The one-star-general list, which requires congressional approval, was expected to be released months ago but has been delayed, partly due to a requirement that to qualify for promotion Army colonels must attend a course designed to improve their understanding of other military services. Several colonels who served under Petraeus -- including some said to be on the list -- are currently attending or are scheduled to attend the 10-week course, called Joint Professional Military Education Phase II in Norfolk.

JPME Phase I is too early as is Phase II. Keeps people from Sea and off deployment and moving WAY too much. Phase I NET CDR Command, and Phase II NET Major Command. Let leaders lead - there is plenty of time to be a Staff Weenie. In a Salamander world.....