Shrinking Civilians

By MARK THOMPSON

On May 8, the Pentagon announced that 35,000 more soldiers are likely to head to Iraq before year's end to maintain the troop surge. Meanwhile, those most responsible for launching the war continue to retreat from public life. Unlike soldiers, who can be barred from shedding their uniforms when their enlistment ends if they are bound for or in a war zone, civilians get no such "stop loss" orders.

Donald Rumsfeld is gone. His war deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, also left the Pentagon and is fighting for his professional life as president of the World Bank. The Pentagon's former No. 3 civilian, policy chief Doug Feith, is at Georgetown University. He and a fellow faculty member, ex-CIA boss George Tenet, are busy lobbing charges over who is responsible for Iraq's deterioration. At the White House, two top aides responsible for Iraq policy are leaving their posts.

New Defense chief Robert Gates represents the more Realpolitik team now taking over. He has warned Iraqi leaders that the U.S. military is not on indefinite loan to the Iraqi government and has lauded Democratic efforts to impose a timetable for troop withdrawal. Although Gates has won plaudits from Congress for his candor, he and President George W. Bush clearly need help crafting Iraq policy. That's why the White House is hunting for a "war czar." So far, half a dozen former military officers have declined the offer. Most retired officers under 62 can be ordered back to active duty. But that's one "stop loss" order Bush is unlikely to issue.