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Show kUih WrdnndJiv. 11 2008 D A I I V HERALD AS Top U.S. commander in Mideast resigns Robert Burns THE ASSOCIATDPRlS! WASHINGTON A week ago, he was "the man between war and peace." Now he is history. With stunning swiftness, Navy Adm. William J. Fallon is resigning as the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, arguably the most important command in the U.S. military. His most stated reason: press reports notably a magazine article portraying him as bucking President Bush on lon took the post on March hi, 2tX)7, succeeding Army Gen. John Abizaid. who retired after nearly four years in the job. Fallon was part of a new team of senior officials, including Gates, chosen by Bush to implement a revised Iraq war policy. Fallon's departure, effective March 31, is unlikely to have an immediate effect on conducting the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. His top deputy at Central Command, Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, will take his place until a permanent successor is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Gen. David Petraeus. who runs the Iraq war from Baghdad but is technically subordinate to Fallon, was known to have differences with Fallon over the timing and pace of lives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility," Fallon said, and he regretted "the simple perception that there is." He was in Iraq when he made the statement. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a Pentagon news conference that he accepted Fallon's request to resign and retire from the Navy , agreeing that the Iran issue had Iraa .1 n Fallon was featured in an article become a distracAdm. Fallon tion. But Gates said published last week in Esquire magazine that described him as being at repeatedly that he odds with a president eager to go to believed talk of Fallon opposing Bush on Iran was war with Iran. Titled "The Man Bemistaken. tween War and Peace," it presented "I don't think that there really were Fallon as a lone voice against taking differences at all," Gates said, addmilitary action to stop the Iranian nuclear program. ing that Fallon was not pressured to Without mentioning the magazine, leave. "He told me that, 'The current Fallon alluded to the article in his resignation statement Tuesday. embarrassing situation, public perception of differences between my views "Recent press reports suggesting and administration policy, and the a disconnect between my views and the president's policy objectives have distraction this causes from the misbecome a distraction at a critical time sion make this the right thing to do,' " Gates told reporters. and hamper efforts in the Cent com Gates said he did not think it was region," Fallon wrote, referring to the Esquire article alone that promptname for U.S. Central the short-han- d ed Fallon to quit. Rather, Gates Command. Fallon, one of the most experienced thought it was "a cumulative kind of officers in the U.S. military, said the thing" that he and Fallon had failed to put "behind us." reports were wrong. It is highly unusual for a senior "I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objec- - commander to resign in wartime. Fal cluding Senate Majority I y;uler I lar-,rReid of Nevada, seized on I allnii's resignation to assert that it reflected an effort by the Bush administration to stifle dissenting opinion. "I am concerned that the resignation of Admiral William J. Fallon, commander of all U.S. forces in the Middle East and a military leader with more than three decades of command experience, is yet another example that independence and the frank, open airing of experts' views are not welcomed in this administration," Reid said. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said the White House played no role in Fallon's move "People should not misconstrue this as the price to be paid for speaking out within the Pentagon," Morrell said. "This is not indicative of a hostile environment tow ard free thinking. This is indicative of what. sadly became a per- ception problem that dogged Admiral this perception that he was Fallon in a different place than the president and the administration when it came to Iran." Bush praised Fallon in a statement: "During his tenure at Centcom, Admiral Fallon's job has been to help ensure that America's military forces are ready to meet the threats of an region of the world, and he deserves considerable credit for progress that has been made there, especially in Iraq and drawing down U.S. troops from Iraq. Fallon has favored a faster pullback. Petraeus issued a statement lauding Fallon's service. "Over the past year, he and I worked closely together as we charted a new course in Iraq and, more recently, developed a shared view on recommendations for the future," Petraeus said. Petraeus might be considered a candidate to succeed Fallon, although Gates said recently that Bush had made it clear to him that he wanted to keep Petreaus in Iraq until late this year. Petraeus is likely to get a second four-sta- r assignment, and some believe it might be as the top U.S. commander in Europe. Afghanistan." Some Democrats in Congress, in Gates dismissed any notion that often-trouble- d l alloivs departure signals the United States is. planning to go to war with Iran. Pressed on that point, lie said. "As I say, the notion that this decision portends anything in terms of a change in Iran policy is, to quote myself, ridiculous." Morrell said it was too early to SHH ulate on a successor to Fallon, who was a surprise choice for the job .when Gates selected him on Jan. 5, 2007, calling him a great strategic thinker and innovator. The post had never before been held by a Navy admiral. Dempsey could be elevated to Central Command chief, although he already has been selected to head U.S. A rmy Europe. Another possible candidate for the Central Command post - considered one of the most imporis Army tant in the U.S. military l.t. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who had just been named to a top post on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and who had been Commander of U.S. special operations forces in Iraq. Another possibility is Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who serves as Gates' senior military assistant and is a former senior commander in Iraq. Fallon, 63, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a former vice chief of naval operations, has had a Navy career. He received his commission through the Navy ROTC program at Villanova University in 1967. Before taking the Central Command job, he was commander of U.S. Pacific Black vote carries Obama to Miss, win David Espo and Charles Babington turn their attention to the fall campaign. , "Now we look forward to campaigning in Pennsylva- ASSOCIATED PRESS THE Barack JACKSON, Miss. Obama coasted to victory in Mississippi's Democratic nia and around the country," Maggie Williams, Clinton's campaign manager, said in a written statement that congratprimary Tuesday, latest in a ulated Obama on his victory. string of racially polarized "I'm confident that once we presidential contests across the Deep South and a final tune-u- p get a nominee, the party is gobefore next month's ing to be unified," Obama said race with Hillary Rodas he collected his victory. ham Clinton in Pennsylvania. But in a race growing more Obama was winning roughly contentious, he took a swipe at 90 percent of the black vote the way his rival's campaign but only about has conducted itself , of the white vote, extending "We've been very measured in terms of how we talk about a pattern that carried him to Senator Clinton," he said. "I've victory in earlier primaries in South Carolina, Alabama, been careful to say that I think Senator Clinton is a capable Georgia and Louisiana. His triumph seemed Unperson and that should she win the nomination, obviously, likely to shorten a Democratic I would Support her. I'm not marathon expected to last at least six more weeks and sure we've been getting that while same approach from the Clinpossibly far longer ton campaign," he said in on Republicans and their high-stak- . one-quart- nominee-in-waitin- Sen. John McCain, Returns from 80 percent of Mississippi's precincts showed Obama gaining 59 percent, to 39 percent for Clinton. Obama picked up at least 17 of Mississippi's 33 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, with five more to be awarded. He hoped for a win sizable enough to erase most if not all of Clinton's gain from last week, when she won three primaries. The Illinois senator had 1,596 delegates to 1,484 for Clinton. It takes 2,025 to win the nomination. Neither of the two rivals ap- it I pears able to win enough delegates through primaries and caucuses to prevail in their historic race for the nomination, a development that has elevated the importance of nearly 800 elected officials and party leaders who will attend next summer's national convention as unelected measurements. Final measurement done at time uf of order, Visit our showroom! ' CALL (801)-222-335- 0 (Have your measurements ready!) FREE ESTIMATES! SHOWROOM y ?s w CNN. Missionaries and Clergy, receive an extra 10 & - No salesman will visit you. Fast quotes from your rough ji Us; Macy's supports your good works! Men's ...- i n? 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