Civilian Agencies and Iraq: Prepare for Pants-Kicking

President Bush's new "war czar," Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute, may be coming directly from the Pentagon, but the Washington Post reports today that apparently he thinks the key to success in Iraq increasingly lies outside the Defense Department. Key section of the Post piece:

One priority in his new assignment, they said, will be to hammer away at civilian agencies, particularly the State Department, to do more to revitalize the Iraqi economy, provide jobs, demobilize militias and give Iraqis hope for the future.

"He'll start asking people: 'What are you doing? How can we get you to contribute?' " said retired Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, president of the Association of the United States Army. "This is the kind of guy who can ask those questions. . . . What Doug brings is a good understanding of the importance of using the full panoply of U.S. power."

That will require him to force cooperation among agencies that have squabbled through much of the four-year-old war -- a tall order for a three-star officer dealing with onetime superiors and Cabinet members. "If necessary, he will kick people in the pants to get things done," said an officer who works with him. "And he will not be shy about telling his opinion."