Admiral Fallon to Resign

We just got a news alert from Politico with the following text, although no corroborating story seems to be on their page:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says Adm. William Fallon will step down as head of the U.S. Central Command.

Update: It's official — DOD media relations have just confirmed via phone that Admiral Fallon is retiring and resigning his post. A little background on Fallon's relationship with the Bush administration and the infighting over war with Iran after the jump.

An idea that has been kicked around for a while that Admiral Fallon, who has repeatedly come out against going to war with Iran (and been praised for doing so), would eventually be exiled for presenting an obstacle along the Bush administration's desired path to war.

From a recent article on Fallon, as quoted in today's Asia Times Online:

WASHINGTON - A new article on CENTCOM commander Admiral William Fallon confirms that his public statements last autumn ruling out war against Iran were not coordinated with the White House and landed him in trouble more than once with President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

In an admiring article on Fallon in Esquire, former Pentagon official Thomas P M Barnett writes that Fallon angered the White House by "brazenly challenging" Bush on his aggressive threat of war against Tehran. Barnett also cites "well-placed observers" as saying Bush may soon replace Fallon with a "more pliable" commander.

I don't want to get all alarmist on you, but signs point to trouble. Here's the initial AP story on the resignation.

Update: Much of the instant reportage on this seems to focus on the recent Esquire article on Fallon. For some reason, the link to the article doesn't seem to work at the moment.