Bush taps general to coordinate war efforts

[Lord Zentei]

Bush taps general to coordinate war efforts

POSTED: 11:15 p.m. EDT, May 15, 2007

• Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute is the Pentagon's director of operations
• New hire is also a former leader of U.S. military forces in the Middle East
• White House tried for weeks to fill job, approaching numerous candidates

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush on Tuesday chose Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, the Pentagon's director of operations and a former leader of U.S. military forces in the Middle East, to oversee the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"General Lute is a tremendously accomplished military leader who understands war and government and knows how to get things done," Bush said, capping a difficult search for new leadership in the wars that have defined his presidency.

It was a difficult job to fill, given the unpopularity of the war, now in its fifth year, and uncertainty about the clout the war coordinator would have. The search was complicated by demands from Congress to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq and scant public support for the war. The White House tried for weeks to fill the position and approached numerous candidates before settling on Lute.

In the newly created position, Lute would serve as an assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser, and would also maintain his military status and rank as a three-star general.

The White House has avoided the term "war czar" to describe the position. Bush called Lute the "full-time manager" for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lute has been director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff since September. Before that, he served for more than two years as director of operations at U.S. Central Command, during which he oversaw combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"He has already earned the respect and trust of the officials with whom he will be working in his new role," Bush said.

The new job comes as administration tries to use a combat troop buildup in Iraq to allow security and political reconciliation to take hold.

The White House has sought a war coordinator to eliminate conflicts among the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies. Lute will seek to cut through bureaucracy and deliver fast responses when requests come in from U.S. military commanders and ambassadors.

His addition will help Stephen Hadley, Bush's national security adviser, who monitors hot spots around the world.

Bush's move is part of a lengthy reshuffling of war leaders. Yet critics have questioned whether a new coordinator will help so late in the Bush presidency or will instead add confusion in the chain of command.

Lute's appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

Until now, Hadley and other West Wing officials have tried to keep turf-conscious agencies marching in the same direction on military, political and reconstruction fronts in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the public's patience for the war has long eroded, and lawmakers -- including members of Bush's own party -- are pushing a harder line in ensuring that the Iraqi government is making progress toward self-governance.

An experienced combat commander

Anthony Cordesman, an Iraq expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Lute comes into the job with a stellar background in combat operation and agency coordination.

Yet the nature of the job poses an enormous challenge. Lute won't be able to deal with civil agencies the way he did with military officers, and his lack of budget authority or ability to reshape regulations could limit his clout, Cordesman said.

"You really need strong leadership and planning from the ambassador and from the commander in Iraq. They're the ones who have to interact with the Iraqis," he said. "In effect, you're a czar in a support role to field commanders and an ambassador 7,000 miles away."

A West Point graduate, Lute, 54, has had an extensive military career. He fought in the 1991 Gulf War.

From 1998 to 2000 he commanded the Second Cavalry Regiment at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He served next as the executive assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs for 14 months before joining the 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany, as the assistant division commander. He also served in Kosovo for six months in 2002 before being assigned to U.S. European Command in January 2003.

Jon Soltz, who leads an organization of veterans critical of administration's war policy, said there is already a war czar -- Bush.

"The troops are now depending on Lt. Gen. Lute to do something the President wouldn't -- listen to commanders who are telling him we need more diplomacy, not escalation," said Soltz, an Iraq veteran and chairman of VoteVets.org.

Retired Marine Corps Gen. John J. Sheehan was approached about the job, but declined because he thinks that decision-making in Washington lacks connection to a broader understanding of the region.

"These huge shortcomings are not going to be resolved by the assignment of an additional individual to the White House staff," Sheehan wrote in The Washington Post, explaining his reasons for not wanting to be considered.

Looks like they found someone willing to take that job after all.

[VT-16]

Now all he needs is a white or black armor, matching cape and an electronically modulated voicebox. 8)

[Patrick Degan]

I guess Gen. Lute decided he really didn't need his military career after all.

[Setesh]

I guess Gen. Lute decided he really didn't need his military career after all.

I think its more that he's still actice service, everyone else they tried to tap for this was either retired, had served enough time they could threaten to quit, or was so completely unsuited and knew it they could honestly say they couldn't do it.

This is unconfirmed but......
According to another forum, Lute is 5+ years away from benefits so he can't just quit, he's also been in Iraq so he can't claim he couldn't do the job do to lack of experience. Bush literally can just order him to do it.

[JLTucker]

How much do you want to bet that if the war gets worse by the time Bush is out of office, Bush will blame it on the czar?

[Patrick Degan]

How much do you want to bet that if the war gets worse by the time Bush is out of office, Bush will blame it on the czar?

Sort of like being named the new captain of the Titanic after she's struck the berg.

[Aaron]

This is unconfirmed but......
According to another forum, Lute is 5+ years away from benefits so he can't just quit, he's also been in Iraq so he can't claim he couldn't do the job do to lack of experience. Bush literally can just order him to do it.

Umm no. If he joined at 19 that means he's been in for 35 years. He's got the pension and benefits package now. If anything it'll only go up the longer he stays in if it's anything like the Canadian Forces system and there's no cap on it. He's probably waiting to make full General so he can get in on the lucrative speaking circuit after he gets out, plus the book market. Both look alot better if it's General before your name rather than Lt. General.

[CmdrWilkens]

His JCS bio has Lute graduating West Point in 1975 which would mean his service began in the Summer of 1971 and he would just now be entering into his 36th year. Given that he is over the 30yr cap he can get no greater than 75% of his last average pay in terms of pension so the only point in staying on would be to get a 4th Star and pick up a bit extra base pay but even then IIRC there are some stipulations about max earnings that means he won't actually make anything more even if he stays in and gets a 4th star. Basically he can't really be forced into this.