The Senate Armed Services Committee announced Thursday the confirmation hearing for Gen. David Petraeus to be the next commander of the war in Afghanistan will take place Tuesday.
Petraeus is expected to win confirmation easily, after being tapped by President Barack Obama Wednesday after he accepted the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who stepped down from his Afghan command after Rolling Stone magazine released an interview in which he made disparaging comments about top administration officials.
Petraeus visited Capitol Hill Wednesday ahead of his confirmation hearing, meeting with Chairman of the Armed Services Committee Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who praised the four-star general as a “solid choice”.
Petraeus also met with Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who had earlier called for a full review of both the military and civilian U.S. team in Afghanistan, suggesting that President Obama bring back popular former U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker who formed a successful partnership with Petraeus to turn that country around.