From the WSJ …
Mr. Gates’s decision to ask for Gen. McKiernan’s resignation came after a behind-the-scenes campaign by an influential group of current and former military officers, many of whom played key roles developing and backing the Bush administration’s troop “surge” in Iraq.
“It’s been a long, slow boil,” said a senior Pentagon official familiar with internal debates over Gen. McKiernan’s future.
Mr. Gates said he had made the decision with Adm. Mullen and Gen. David Petraeus, who runs the Central Command and was Gen. McKiernan’s boss.
