U.S. officials who spoke with me on the condition of anonymity to describe Benz's position said he's a special government employee, a type of executive-branch appointee brought in to perform important services for a limited period of time.
On the eve of the 1991 Gulf war, General Schwarzkopf remarked on the complexities of regime change, reinforcing that while it's easy to desire change, executing it is fraught with challenges.