Lute to Referee Between State, Pentagon

In this photo released by the Department of Defense, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, director for operations, the Joint Staff, conducts a Pentagon operational update briefing Feb. 9, 2007, in Washington. According to an administration official President Bush on May 15, 2007, chose Lute to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as "war czar."(AP Photo/Department of Defense, Helene C. Stikkel) (Helene C. Stikkel - AP)

WASHINGTON -- The Army general chosen to be President Bush's "war czar" brings an impatience with bureaucracy to the job of meshing military and civilian policy in Iraq.

That could serve Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute well as he referees skirmishes between the Pentagon and State Department, often at cross-purposes in the troubled war.

"He's good at understanding broad issues and following through to make sure things get done," said retired Maj. Gen. William L. Nash. "And he's got leadership."

Lute, 54, will have to cut through bureaucracy and respond quickly to requests from U.S. military commanders and ambassadors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Since September, he has headed operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During his time at the Pentagon, Lute has shown a skill for trying to speed up decisions on proposals from the field rather than letting issues languish in debate, colleagues said.

He is seen highly qualified, knows the region, has worked well with those in Iraq and Afghanistan, "and is one of the more objective voices in dealing with the Iraq war," said Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"It is hard to believe that General Lute will not have a positive impact," Cordesman said.

That impact, however, will be limited.

Military experts inside and outside the government say his appointment does not necessarily promise faster progress or an earlier homecoming for U.S. troops.

"His ability to change things will be marginal at best _ the problems are too big," said Nash, now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Iraq is gripped by violence and its government is making slow progress on the political and economic issues that the Bush administration had hoped would help calm the country.

On top of that, every past "czardom" has failed because of resistance within federal departments, Cordesman said.