General Lute: Iraqi government may be incapable of achieving control

Above: Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division direct the movement of a section of an observation tower into place near Quarghulli Village, the area of an ambush on May 12th which has left two soldiers missing. The tower and battle position are being constructed to interdict the flow of al-Qaida personnel and weapons into Baghdad.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The general picked by President Bush to be his war adviser said Thursday he has serious concerns about the Iraqi government's ability to take control of its country, no matter how much pressure is applied by the United States.

"The question in my mind is not to what extent can we force them ... to a particular outcome but rather to what degree do they actually have the capacity themselves to produce that outcome," Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

And if the Iraqis are "pressed too hard, will we, in turn, end up with an outcome that isn't really worth the paper it's written on?" he added.

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