WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The full U.S. Senate began debating the confirmation of Gen. George Casey for U.S. Army Chief of Staff Wednesday.
The debate began a day after the Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously supported the nomination of Casey, the four-star general who has just finished a stint commanding U.S. ground forces in Iraq, by an overwhelming vote of 14 to three.
The debate was expected to move quickly without any serious opposition to Gen. Casey, and the full Senate vote on his confirmation could come as early as Thursday, the Army Times reported Wednesday.
Casey faced his heaviest criticism in testimony on Feb. 1 before the Senate Armed Services Committee from three Republican senators: John McCain, R-Ariz., John Ensign, R-Nev., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.
"Casey is scheduled to hand over the reins of MNF-I (Multi-National Force-Iraq) on Saturday to Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, who will receive his fourth star at the time of the ceremony in Baghdad," the Army Times said. The newspaper noted that Petraeus, who commanded the 101st Airborne Division in the 2003 Gulf War and who co-wrote the current U.S. Army manual on counter-insurgency, was approved for the Iraq ground forces command by the Senate on Jan. 26.
