Breaking: Pertaeus has been officially sworn in as Commander of CENTCOM:

Gen. David Petraeus took over U.S. Central Command during a one-hour ceremony this morning at MacDill Air Force Base, assuming responsibility for military operations in the most volatile part of the world — the Middle East.

Under a large American flag and with 84 members of Petraeus’ West Point class of 1974 looking on, he accepted the CentCom battle flag from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Petraeus is widely credited with being the architect of the Iraq surge that many believe led to a dramatic reduction in violence. Now expectations are high as Petraeus tries the same thing in Afghanistan, where battle against extremists is on the rise.

Gen. Odierno replaced him as Commander of MNF-Iraq.

Congratulations, Gen. Petraeus. You deserve it.