Jack Reed gets to the heart of the "War Czar"

RI Sen Jack Reed got the heart of the "War Czar" charade.

"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.....

"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.

The only criticism I would add is that this three star general would have frighteningly little influence over those he is supposedly controlling, Rice, Gates, Pace, etc, not to mention the root problem,

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."

Later: Here's a video of the Reed questioning of Lute. It's far longer than the above excerpt and worth watching.