Petraeus: he’s running but for what?

Well. Charismatic certainly, efficient effect, intelligent…and running for president? Well that’s how it felt to meet General Petraeus…

He had a good line on the World Cup: “rest Rooney for Saturday, save him for the other matches.” (England play USA on Saturday).

He was full of praise for UK Afghanistan effort – he set out the UK US linkages in military.

But he was cautious on the Israel question, one senses he is representative of US security institutional fatigue with the political failure of endless efforts to win Israeli Palestinian peace.

Headline from it all – without you the coalition cannot win in Afghanistan…

Petraeusism of the day: ‘The real surge in Iraq is a surge of ideas’.

All in all, no fire-crackers, but an intriguing close-up of a man who one suspects will attempt to go much further.