Petraeus pick at CIA a hit with Republicans

President Barack Obamas choice of General David Petraeus as CIA director will bolster his national security team with a Republican favorite who is sometimes seen as a future White House aspirant. The pick put a quick end to occasional Washington speculation that the commanding general in Afghanistan might ride to the rescue of Republicans as a 2012 White House or vice presidential candidate against Obama.Petraeus, credited with turning around the war in Iraq, had denied interest in a post-military political career in recent years even while giving interviews and making speeches with the zeal of a politician during his trips home. The imminent departure of Defence Secretary Robert Gates, a Republican holdover from the Bush administration, left a need on Obamas national security team for a reliable conservative with allies among Republicans in Congress.