ShoutyBear: Politics. Foreign Affairs. Zarf.

Centcom commander Adm. William Fallon is retiring effective immediately following an Esquire magazine article that intimated Fallon was headed for the ax because of his reluctance to go to war with Iran.

DefSec Robert Gates delivered the announcement in an unscheduled presser minutes ago, saying Fallon requested permission to step down this morning. Gates grimly quoted from Fallon’s reasoning: “The current embarrassing situation of the public perception of differences between my views and administration policy and the distraction this causes from the mission make this the right thing to do.”

In a statement, Fallon also cited “the disrespect of the president in a recent magazine article.”

The March 5 Esquire article portrays Fallon as a heroic, Colin Powell-like figure in the White House’s reported war planning for Iran. “Well-placed observers now say that it will come as no surprise if Fallon is relieved of his command before his time is up next spring, maybe as early as this summer, in favor of a commander the White House considers to be more pliable. If that were to happen, it may well mean that the president and vice-president intend to take military action against Iran before the end of this year and don’t want a commander standing in their way,” wrote Thomas P.M. Barnett. Continue reading Fallon Steps Down As Centcom Commander, Citing Esquire Article…