US senators dubious about Bush's new war czar post

WASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) US senators expressed deep skepticism today at President Bush's nomination of a ''war czar'' for Iraq and Afghanistan, saying it muddled the White House chain of command but likely signaled no strategy change.

''I'm afraid that your position will be someone who's there to take the blame,'' Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Jack Reed told Army Lt Gen Douglas Lute at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Bush nominated Lute in May to oversee policy and execute strategy for Iraq and Afghanistan, reporting directly to the president. His appointment comes amid an ongoing struggle between the White House and Congress over the unpopular Iraq war.

But with Lute known to have been a skeptic about Bush's current increase in the number of US troops in Iraq, his views about the war appeared to worry Democratic senators less today than whether he would have enough authority in a White House floundering over the direction of the conflict.

''I am very concerned that this is not going to work. It's just another political, public relations ploy rather than a significant change of strategy,'' Reed, who joined others in praising Lute's service record, told the three-star general.

Some senators expressed disbelief at Lute's testimony that he, and not National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, would now be the main White House person in charge of advising Bush on Iraq and Afghanistan war policy.

''I mean, frankly, Afghanistan, Iraq, and, related to that, Iran, are the most critical foreign policy problems we face. And the national security adviser to the United States has taken his hands off that and given it to you? Well, then he (Hadley) should be fired,'' Reed declared.

Lute is now operations director for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He had been director of operations for the US Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Later in the hearing Lute appeared to try to clear up any confusion about the White House chain of command, saying Hadley's role would not be ''diminished.'' ''If confirmed, I'll join him as a teammate and I'll augment him,'' Lute said of Hadley.

Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin said the matter had to be clarified before the panel could vote to confirm Lute.

There was, Levin told Reuters, ''a question as to whether or not there are now two national security advisers to the president.'' Presidential hopeful Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton asked what Lute's responsibilities would be, vis-a-vis Vice President Dick Cheney, a die-hard supporter of the Iraq war who Clinton said ran a ''parallel operation'' in the White House.

When Lute responded that he would ''work with'' Cheney, Clinton, a New York Democrat, said, ''Well, I wish you well. Because certainly that's turned out to be a difficult situation for many.

And I don't know quite how we ever really determined what the chain of command inside the White House is.'' REUTERS JK PM2000