"What's the best and most effective way to combat al Qaida?" he said during an interview in Cairo. "I come from the school of walk softly and carry a big stick."

The article also quotes him as telling al Jazeera, the Arabic satellite television channel, that war with Iran was undesirable. "This constant drumbeat of conflict . . . is not helpful and not useful," he said. "I expect that there will be no war and that is what we ought to be working toward."

Fallon had been a controversial figure in his post, questioning the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq and openly challenging suggestions that the military would be able to tackle a strike on Iran. But no one had suggested that Fallon might resign until the magazine hit newsstands in January.
..McClatchydc