History, Admiral Lord Nelson and General David Petraeus

This is not intended to be a comparison of the respective merits of two commanders. Rather, it is an observation on the similarity of events that saw Admiral Lord Nelson assume command of the British fleet in the Mediterranean and General Petraeus take command of the allied multinational force in Iraq.

What occurs to me is that national leaders sometimes consider it necessary to circumvent the accepted order of military command and protocol, when the situation demands. William Pitt was continuously thwarted by the 'old guard' in Whitehall. George Bush was badly advised, over a number of years, in how to obtain victory in Iraq. What is certain is that both resorted to hiring a relatively junior officer to expedite matters. Nelson went on to destroy the French fleet at Aboukir Bay, and Petraeus has stabilised the situation in Baghdad and the surrounding Sunni region.

What is also striking in it's similarity is how those with less talent take the earliest opportunity to strike at the successful. With Nelson, Whig Admiral Sir John Jervis was thought to have attempted to undermine Nelson. That the likes of abject failures such as General Wesley Clark should have 'sniped' at Petraeus is hardly surprising. What is, perhaps, more surprising is that ralative failure General George Casey should attempt to undermine Petraeus's plan by playing politics as US Army Chief of Staff. The reason why Petraeus was placed in command, in the first place.