In tradition of “true conservatism”, the Bush administration’s approach to resolving inefficiency in government agencies has always been to add another layer of bureaucracy to the mix. When the CIA and FBI failed to foresee and prevent 9/11, they created an intelligence Czar. When FEMA looked inadequate, they created the DHS. With things going pear shaped in Iraq and Afghanistan, clearly the problem had to do with the military, seeing as the policy was so faultless.
Having been struggling to find a candidate willing to take a bullet for the team, Bush has found someone prepared for the challenge (i.e. do as he’s told).
President Bush has chosen Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, the Pentagon’s director of operations, to oversee the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as a “war czar” after a long search for new leadership, administration officials said Tuesday.
And wouldn’t you know it, he has an “interesting” track record of making predictions and seeing it like it is (i.e. wiping egg off his face).
US general sees significant withdrawal in Iraq
By Peter Spiegel in London and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
Published: August 24 2005 21:46 | Last updated: August 24 2005 23:49The US is expected to pull significant numbers of troops out of Iraq in the next 12 months in spite of the continuing violence, according to the general responsible for near-term planning in the country.
Maj Gen Douglas Lute, director of operations at US Central Command, yesterday said the reductions were part of a push by Gen John Abizaid, commander of all US troops in the region, to put the burden of defending Iraq on Iraqi forces.
Last week, Gen Peter Schoomaker, US army chief of staff, said his office was planning for the possibility that troop levels could be maintained until 2009. But Maj Gen Lute said such a worst-case scenario was unlikely.
“I will tell you this, as the operation officer of Centcom, if a year from now I’ve got to call on all those army troops that Gen Schoomaker is prepared to provide, I won’t feel real good about myself,” he said. Gen George Casey, commander of allied forces in Iraq, made similar comments last month on reductions that could come by early next year but they were quickly played down by the White House.
Clearly the perfect man for the job.
UPDATE:
Regarding Lt. General Lute, that on 5 March, 2007, as reported in the INN world report website:
Pakistani officials have vigorously rejected statements made to the US Senate in Washington that Coalition troops in Afghanistan are authorised to pursue Al Qaeda and Taliban elements inside their country.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Tasnim Aslam said that there is no agreement that allows US troops to target terrorist sites inside Pakistan. His comments were made in response to assertions made by US Lt-General Douglas Lute to the Senate Armed Services Committee last Thursday. Lute told the committee that engagement rules allow US forces to pursue anyone demonstrating hostile intent into Pakistan.”
It should be obvious to any thinking person precisely why Bush has chosen this man as his “War Czar”. .