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'War czar' doubted Bush
07/06/2007 19:01 - (SA)
Washington - The "war czar" picked by President George W Bush admitted on Thursday to past misgivings about Bush's surge of US troops into Iraq but said it was premature to judge the deployment's success.
Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, who was nominated by Bush last month to oversee the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, told his Senate confirmation hearing that Iraqi authorities and other US agencies needed to step up.
"I expressed concerns in the policy development phase that this not be simply a one-dimensional surge," the three-star army general told the hearing.
The surge would "likely have only temporary and localised effects" unless it was accompanied by parallel efforts by the Iraqi army and civilian US government departments, Lute also said in a written response to senators.
But, he added: "We are in the early days and time will tell.
"Early results are mixed. Conditions on the ground are deeply complex and likely to continue to evolve, meaning that we will constantly have to adapt.
"The Iraqi government has taken some steps to demonstrate that it must surge, if you like, alongside of us.
'Baghdad is burning'
Lute described Iraqi progress on security as "uneven so far".
Bush announced in January that the United States was deploying more than 21 500 additional troops to Iraq, bringing the total to 160 000 by this month.
The bulk of the soldiers are going to Baghdad, while 4 000 are heading to the province of al-Anbar, a Sunni Arab insurgent stronghold to the west.
Senate armed services committee chairperson Carl Levin said the surge was failing to quell the bloody insurgency.
Levin said: "Baghdad is burning while the Iraqi politicians refuse to accept responsibility for their country's future."
The Democratic lawmaker said Lute was in an "unenviable position" in being asked by Bush to bring "coherence to an incoherent policy" over Iraq.
Bush nominated Lute in mid-May as a deputy national security advisor to "be the full-time manager for the implementation and execution of our strategies for Iraq and Afghanistan".
A 'three-star general'
Lute, who is now serving as director of the Joint Staff, was selected after several prominent retired generals turned down offers or overtures to become the White House's "war czar".
The choice surprised colleagues at the Pentagon. Some questioned how effective a three-star general would be in managing a war effort from the White House amid four-star military commanders and cabinet secretaries.
Republican Senator James Inhofe told the hearing that he believed the new position was "unnecessary", but said Lute was the "ideal" choice for the job.
Lute said the job was "a major personal challenge" but stressed: "If confirmed, I will give the president my straightforward, candid and personal advice."
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