Retired Gen. David Petraeus was sworn in as director of the CIA on Tuesday morning by Vice President Biden at a small ceremony in the White House.
The vice president praised Petraeus for his service in the military during the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, saying the general had turned the Army "into the greatest group of warriors this country has ever seen.”
For his part, Petraeus thanked the president for the opportunity “to continue working very important missions that so many of us have been involved in." He said that his new home at the CIA is "a great organization with great people.”
The venue of Petraeus's swearing in — the Roosevelt Room at the White House during a private and sparsely attended morning ceremony — raised some eyebrows in Washington.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday morning that some White House officials are concerned that the popular general's influence in the media and on Capitol Hill would enable him to pursue policies divergent with those of the president; the White House and Petraeus famously and publicly differed on Afghanistan policy when Obama first entered office.
But Biden did his best to put any such conflict to rest, saying that the ceremony had been planned so that Petraeus could join the president's daily briefing immediately following the swearing in.
“There’s literally no time to waste. The president wants him on the job," Biden said.
Petraeus was confirmed unanimously by the Senate in June, 94-0.
