May 16, 2007; Page A10
WASHINGTON -- The White House tabbed a high-ranking but little-known military officer to be its new "war czar" for Iraq and Afghanistan.
White House officials said the post would go to Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, the Joint Chiefs of Staff's director for operations and a key operational architect of the current administration push to "surge" tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops to Iraq.
The selection caps a long and embarrassing administration effort to find a senior official willing to take the job. The White House approached at least three retired four-star generals about the position but was rebuffed, with one of the generals publicly criticizing the administration for lacking a clear strategy for Iraq.
At the Pentagon, Gen. Lute oversaw the movement of troops and equipment world-wide. But he has in the past broken publicly with the administration about the proper U.S. role in Iraq, which could put him at odds with senior White House officials. In August 2005, he told the Senate that the U.S. should reduce the number of troops in Iraq because the large presence was fueling the insurgency and leaving Iraqis dependent on the U.S.
"At some point, in order to break this dependence on the ... coalition, you simply have to back off and let the Iraqis step forward," he said. "You have to undercut the perception of occupation in Iraq."
In his new post, Gen. Lute will report directly to President Bush and issue orders to cabinet agencies, including the State Department and Pentagon.