It ain't easy...

...to be the Greatest General EVAR. But with a little help,

Petraeus's willingness to be a mentor stems from a desire to position himself as the man who rebuilt the Army, people who have worked with him in Iraq and elsewhere say. He has been open about his desire to shape the officer corps into a group of highly educated thinkers and has surrounded himself with Rhodes Scholars and PhDs, a group that has come to be known as his brain trust.

"I think he's universally well known for finding smart people who are interested in doing things a little differently, and I think that's a major reason for his success," says Capt. Elizabeth McNally, a West Point graduate and Rhodes Scholar who is Petraeus's speechwriter.

maybe you too could be the GGE. You need:

First, a scholarly U.S. Army Captain, such as Elizabeth McNally, who can be your speechwriter. That takes a lot of the drudgery out of sounding just right. What a lucky army we have that can find the right person for the right job.

Next, a reporter like Megan Greenwell writing for the authoritative WaPo, one who knows how to put all the gee whiz hype into a total DoD propaganda screed that Congresscritters and pundits will find so appealing. And I'll bet Elizabeth and Megan became fast friends!

Finally, a little wanker of the type all too prevalent on the intertubes, the Prince of Princeton, Wesley Morgan. Wes rocks us with comments like this:

"It's amazing," Morgan said after the briefing at Camp Taji last month. "It's the weirdest summer vacation ever, but to finally get to see what's happening for myself is unbelievable."

And Wesley know where his bread is buttered:

Morgan's blog maintains an adulatory tone in discussing Petraeus, concluding that nobody understands the situation in Iraq as well as the general does.

Nobody.

So, we've got coming back to the good old USA this month one hell of a General. He's going to tell us what we need to do, and how to do it. Captain McNally will help him with mundane details of diction and phrasing. I bet that Megan will get her licks in again too.

So take heart, America. With all this talent out there trying to convince you that the war is being won, your worries are over.
(h/t Laura Rozen)