Top US generals reject 'war czar' role for Iraq and Afghanistan

Three retired generals approached by the White House about a new high-profile post overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and reporting directly to the president have rejected the proposed post, leaving the administration struggling to find anyone of stature willing to take it on. One of the four-star generals said he declined because of the chaotic way the war was being run and because Dick Cheney, the vice president and the leading hawk in the Bush administration, retained more influence than pragmatists looking for a way out. The deputy White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, said on Apr. 11 that President Bush was considering restructuring the administration to create a new post, dubbed the "war czar" by US media. It would involve coordinating the work of the Defense, State and other departments at what she described as a critical stage in the wars. One of the retired generals approached, Marine General John Sheehan, told the Washington Post: "The very fundamental issue is they don't know where the hell they're going." The unwillingness of the generals to take the job undermines recent attempts by the Bush administration to put a positive spin on the Iraq War. Bush has claimed repeatedly over the past few weeks that there are signs his strategy of pouring extra US troops into Baghdad and neighboring Anbar province is working. The proposal to create the job comes after the departure of Meghan O'Sullivan, the 37-year-old who had the top national security council job on Iraq and Afghanistan. She was responsible for policy but had no power to implement it. The proposed "war czar" would have the power to issue orders, and would be answerable directly to the president and his national security adviser, Stephen Hadley. Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the national security council, said the White House had sought advice from a number of people about the job but insisted it had not been offered to anyone. "The White House is looking into creating a higher profile position that would have the single, full-time focus on implementing and executing the recently completed strategic reviews for both Iraq and Afghanistan." Sheehan said Cheney and his allies "are still in the positions of most influence" in spite of two leading pragmatists, the defense secretary, Robert Gates, and the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, winning support in the past four months for a diplomatic approach. After two weeks of discussing the job with Hadley, Sheehan rejected it: "So rather than go over there, develop an ulcer and eventually leave, I said, 'No, thanks.'"