The 2009 TIME 100 Finalists

Cast your votes for the leaders, artists, entrepreneurs and thinkers who deserve a spot on this year's TIME 100. — By Brian Raftery

General Petraeus

Jonathan Ernst / Getty
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AGE: 56
OCCUPATION: General, U.S. Central Command chief
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 1

PRO: He was a key architect and implementer of the surge in Iraq, which many credit with reducing sectarian violence and civilian casualties. Now he has turned his attention to Afghanistan and Pakistan — and, some conservatives hope, a possible 2012 presidential bid.

CON: Troops are already stretched thin, and the public is weary of entering into another drawn-out war.

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