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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| US names general to be 'war tsar' | US names general to be 'war tsar' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| US President George W Bush has named a senior general to be the first American "war tsar". | US President George W Bush has named a senior general to be the first American "war tsar". |
| Lt Gen Douglas Lute, currently serving as director of operations at the Pentagon, will co-ordinate the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. | Lt Gen Douglas Lute, currently serving as director of operations at the Pentagon, will co-ordinate the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
| He will become deputy national security adviser to the president for Iraq and Afghanistan policy. | He will become deputy national security adviser to the president for Iraq and Afghanistan policy. |
| Gen Lute was appointed after a lengthy search in which several candidates apparently turned down the position. | Gen Lute was appointed after a lengthy search in which several candidates apparently turned down the position. |
| He must be confirmed by the US Senate before he takes up his position. | |
| Role unclear | |
| If confirmed, Gen Lute, 55, would take the role in the middle of an increased US military "surge" in Iraq, and amid ongoing conflict against Taleban rebels in Afghanistan. | |
| He would also begin work against the backdrop of attempts by congressional Democrats to restrict funding for Iraq, or to tie future funding to evidence of progress. | |
| Correspondents say it is unclear exactly what General Lute will do, and whether the job will involve settling turf wars between the Pentagon and the state department. | Correspondents say it is unclear exactly what General Lute will do, and whether the job will involve settling turf wars between the Pentagon and the state department. |
| He will serve as an adviser to the president but will also keep his military position and three-star ranking, reports said. | He will serve as an adviser to the president but will also keep his military position and three-star ranking, reports said. |
| Several White House security officials have left the administration in recent months. | Several White House security officials have left the administration in recent months. |