Douglas Lute

Army Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, who was chosen May 15, 2007, by President George W. Bush "as his pointman for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, ending a frustrated search for a 'war czar'," will serve under National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley, "who said he wanted somebody who would focus full time on Iraq and Afghanistan, doing what he would do if he had the time to do it." [1]

Lute, 54, currently serving as director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "was selected after several prominent retired generals turned down offers or overtures to become the White House's 'war czar'. ... [Lute] has been a three star general only since September [2006], but he has deep experience in the Middle East and was heavily involved in the planning for the current 'surge' of US troops to Iraq." [2]

"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." [3]

Lute served as operations director of U.S. Central Command from 2004 to September 2006, "overseeing combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He ran US military operations in the Levant during last year's fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon." [4]

External Links

• Steve Holland, "Bush picks Gen. Lute as 'war czar' for Iraq," Reuters, May 15, 2007.
• Jim Mannion, "Bush picks general as 'war czar'," news.com.au, May 15, 2007.
• "US names general to be 'war tsar'," BBC News, May 15, 2007.