Friday, May 04, 2007

A New Perspective on Petraeus

Former Sen. Bill Frist has a knack for seeing connections between his medical and political careers.

Last year, he diagnosed Terri Schiavo’s coma from afar during a Senate debate about removing her life support. Now he gives us a unique insight into the character of our commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus.

Called to treat a gunshot wound and about to open the patient’s chest, Dr. Frist heard him say, “If we’ve got a problem that needs to be fixed, let’s get on with it!”

Dr. Frist did just that, telling us now, “Little did I know that same attitude would be at play in the world arena 16 years later. The straightforward decisiveness and call for action with results--traits we see from Gen. Petraeus so often today--reared their head in those few moments of conversation we had before I began to operate.”

Next thing we know, Frist will be conferring on Petraeus the fond nickname our troops had for lovable Gen. George Patton in World War II: “Old Blood and Guts.”

No comments: