Bush Pick for War Adviser Says U.S. Should Consider Withdrawal

June 7 (Bloomberg) -- Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, a skeptic of the troop increase in Iraq and President George W. Bush's choice to oversee the war, said withdrawing troops may pressure the Iraqi government to make needed changes.

Under questioning from Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, Lute said the Michigan Democrat may be correct in his long-held assertion that the Iraqi government will only work to end sectarian strife if it has to.

A withdrawal ``ought to be considered,'' Lute, 54, said during the committee's hearing in Washington on his nomination as a coordinator of war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While praising Lute's qualifications, Levin said the new position had little authority, making it difficult for Lute to be effective. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a Bush confidante, has been unable to reshape the administration's war policy, Levin said. ``One has to wonder, how does one expect that General Lute can be more successful?''

Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, told Lute that while he would support him, ``I don't think I'm doing you a favor'' because he would be put in an ``impossible situation.''

The committee's Republicans offered a more optimistic assessment of the impact Lute could have, although no one said he could reverse the trend of deepening violence among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds and their anger at the U.S. occupation.

`Straightforward Advice'

Senator John Warner, a Republican from Virginia, said the most important aspect of Lute's job would be to ``give the president impartial, straightforward advice'' on the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bush on May 15 picked Lute, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Defense Department, for the overseer role.

In prepared remarks today, Lute said he raised several criticisms when first presented with the administration's plan to increase troop strength in Iraq by 21,000.

``I registered concerns that a military `surge' would likely have only temporary and localized effects unless it were accompanied by counterpart `surges' by the Iraqi government and the other non-military agencies of the U.S. government,'' he said.

The final troop-increase plan ``took such concerns into account,'' he said.

Although Lute said it's too early to judge the success of the troop increase, he described progress as ``uneven.''

``We face persistent violence, insufficient progress in governance and the economy and unhelpful influences from Syria and Iran,'' he said in the prepared remarks.