Is Lute the right kind of 'war czar'?
Bush's pick to organize US efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan is a respected general, but some analysts prefer a civilian mind-set.
from the May 17, 2007 edition
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Agencies don't get along
One of the chief reasons Bush needed a "war czar" is because the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have pointed up how many agencies in Washington simply don't get along.
The Defense Department, especially under then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, was seen as too heavy-handed. But to the Pentagon, other agencies such as the State Department, USAID, and even the Departments of Justice and Commerce haven't provided enough support or resources.
While some of those cultural and bureaucratic rifts have eased, challenges remain. Defense Secretary Robert Gates showed public exasperation earlier this year during testimony on Capitol Hill when he acknowledged that the State Department was unable to immediately provide more than 100 personnel to assist in Iraq with provincial reconstruction teams, for example.
Lute's appointment would inject new policy direction when it comes to managing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Brian Whitman, chief spokesman for the Pentagon. But the chain of command will remain the same, he said.
"Orders will come through the normal chain of command as they always have with respect to issuing orders," he told Pentagon reporters Wednesday.
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