War Czar Admits Doubts About ‘Surge’

Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that he had “concerns” over the military “surge” in Iraq during its planning and development. He said the operation would “likely have only temporary and localized effects” unless it was matched by efforts from the Iraqi government and American civilian authorities.

AFP via Yahoo:

Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, who was nominated by Bush last month to oversee the conflicts in Iraq and
Afghanistan, said Iraqi authorities and other US agencies needed to step up alongside the US military.

“I expressed concerns in the policy development phase ... that this not be simply a one-dimensional surge,” the three-star army general, 54, told his Senate confirmation hearing.

The surge climaxing this month would “likely have only temporary and localized effects” unless it was accompanied by “counterpart surges” by the Iraqi government and civilian US government departments, Lute said.

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