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Article: Gen. Petraeus sees it through.
- Article from:
- The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA)
- Article date:
- June 9, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Philadelphia Inquirer. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Trudy Rubin
BAGHDAD, Iraq _ I was taking part in a "mansaf'' _ the traditional Arab meal where diners stand around a table and scoop handfuls of lamb and rice off huge platters _ when the conversation turned to Gen. David Petraeus.
The host, Abu Faysal, was an urbane Baghdad lawyer and prominent member of the huge Shammar tribe, which is based in the northern city of Mosul. Petraeus spent a year there commanding the 101st Airborne. Abu Faysal recalled Petraeus' popularity: "His door was always open. He even sent representatives to our funerals."
Indeed Petraeus, whom I watched in action last fall, wooed Iraqis by moving quickly to train ...