US President George W. Bush was set yesterday to announce the new US spy chief as he shuffles top intelligence, diplomatic and military aides tied to the Iraq conflict ahead of announcing his retooled war-fighting strategy next week.
The White House, however, remains deeply split over sending more US troops to Iraq, and Bush advisers disagree whether the Iraqi government is able to provide the military support and implement the political reforms necessary for US forces to eventually withdraw, the Washington Post reported yesterday, citing officials familiar with the debate.
Bush set is to nominate retired vice admiral Michael McConnell, a former head of the National Security Agency, to be the director of national intelligence, a top aide said on condition of anonymity.
The current spy chief, John Negroponte -- the first US ambassador to post-Saddam Hussein Iraq -- will be US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's deputy, the aide said. Both picks require US Senate approval.
The current US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, will be nominated to be US ambassador to the UN, a senior State Department official said. He would replace the controversial John Bolton, whose tenure ended last week.
Replacing Khalilzad in Baghdad is Ryan Crocker, 57, the current US ambassador in Pakistan since November 2004. Crocker is one of the State Department's most experienced Middle East experts and a fluent Arabic speaker.
On the military side, the head of the US Central Command and the top US military commander in Iraq are both set to change, ABC TV and major US print media reported.
Admiral William Fallon would replace retiring General John Abizaid, 55, at the Central Command, which oversees US forces from the north Africa to central Asia.
In Iraq, Lieutenant General David Petraeus would replace General George Casey as the man in charge of all US and coalition forces, according to the reports.
The White House declined to challenge the reports.
Both Abizaid, 55, and Casey, 58, had expressed reservations about a reported plan to increase the number of US troops in Iraq.
Bush had little to say about his Iraq speech next week when he spoke to reporters after a meeting on Thursday with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The president held a nearly two-hour video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during which he said he made clear Washington expected "a full investigation" over the controversy surrounding Saddam's execution.
White House officials said they were unsure whether Bush would consult Maliki again before he unveils his proposals for waging the war in Iraq in a speech expected as early as Wednesday.
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