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| Home Front: Politix |
| White House Struggles to Fill Opening for War Czar |
| 2007-04-12 |
| The White House wants someone to focus on conducting strategic reviews for the wars, said Gordon Johndroe, a National Security Council spokesman. "The White House is looking into creating a higher profile position that would have the single, full time focus on implementing and executing the recently completed strategic reviews for both Iraq and Afghanistan," Johndroe told FOX News. "This position would report directly to the president as well as Steve Hadley and have representatives in the offices of the secretaries of state and defense in order to speed up and make more efficient the implementation of these strategies." First reported by The Washington Post, the administration is seeking a high-powered candidate to head up a new office, but so far, three retired four-star generals have turned down the offer. Excuse me President Bush, isn't that YOUR Job - you know the part where you have the title COMMANDER IN CHIEF? Stop being a manager trying to delegate everything, and start being a leader, damnit! Crack the whiop and a few skulls if you need to. We are at war and wars need to be FOUGHT, not managed like a Walmart. Delegate the economic stuff and win the war! |
| Posted by:OldSpook |
| #20 This was first erroneously reported by Tom Ricks at WaPo. The term "czar" was Rick's term (hype meter pinging). In reality, it is a coordinator or liaison type job. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2007-04-12 21:58 |
| #19 Gawd Dam! We need a czar like we need another Pelosi. We have someone to coordinate the effort and to send the political messages. Are we gonna reduce the sec state and sec def to staffing positions. THIS IS JUST DUMB! What they want is a high profile fall guy. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2007-04-12 19:14 |
| #18 stop being the frat boy and valuing loyalty over competence Dead nuts spot on, Old Spook! This is why American presidents are elected to a four year term. It gives them a relatively free hand to shape foreign (and to a lesser extent, domestic) policy to their own liking. Bush has had the best part of EIGHT YEARS and its culmination seems to be some of the most shameless canoodling from someone who previously had the grit to identify "The Axis of Evil". Hell, John Bolton could steer the executive war wagon better than Bush. Old Spook's accusations of delegation are directly on target. Executive leadership manifests most clearly in a nation's war time policy. Per force, it must devolve from the highest office. To delegate this supreme task is to effectively abdicate one's position as Commander in Chief. One thing is being made abundantly clear; Bush will most likely not have the courage to take out Iran, regardless of all previous rhetoric. I hope like Hell I'm wrong on this but the prospects do not look good at all. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-04-12 15:13 |
| #17 Maybe John Howard is availalbe; seems to be the only leader from a civilized country with a set of balls. George, quit waffling and stand up you closet democrat. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-04-12 14:24 |
| #16 I'd take the job if I could be called The Jager Meister. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-04-12 11:55 |
| #15 Charles Martel is unavailable. |
| Posted by: doc 2007-04-12 10:58 |
| #14 I favor a nuanced amalgam of Ghengis Khan, Tamurlane and Vlad Tepes. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2007-04-12 10:43 |
| #13 I'm kinda partial to Uber Fuhrer. |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2007-04-12 10:28 |
| #12 And please stop calling everything a "czar" - it's stupid and offensive. How about a "khan" for a change? Or maybe a "kaiser"... |
| Posted by: mojo 2007-04-12 10:17 |
| #11 I would set the Patton Doctrine into effect. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-04-12 09:37 |
| #10 I would nominate almost any Rantburgian for War Czar. Though I imagine policy would become a bit caliente for the President's taste. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-04-12 09:13 |
| #9 1. The Petraeus is in charge of military activities in Iraq. What is needed is someone to run Iraq AND Afghanistan, and to coordinate political/diplo activities as well. 2. They had a deputy NSC head doing that, but she quit. Naturally she needs to be replaced, and they seem to think someone more senior, and someone military, would be the right person. 3. Obviously it has to be someone lower than POTUS, as POTUS has far broader responsibilities. 4. One might think a high level DoD civilian could do it, but I guess the military doesnt have that kind of respect for DoD civilians any more. Maybe. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2007-04-12 09:03 |
| #8 War CZAR? Here, let me spell it for you: G E N D A V E P E T R A E U S |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-04-12 08:44 |
| #7 SR71, The wheels fell off long ago. The engine is now blowing the head gasket and the fuel line has ruptured, spraying gas all over a hot cylinder block. The idea of a 'war czar' is - IMHO - the most revolting idea I have ever heard come out of the White House. This is no more or less than an attempt to completely evade responsibility for the many mistakes that have been made (and I will say that I believe MOST of the mistakes to have been honest ones). I also think that this idea is suggesting that the White House has panicked and now no longer believes the surge will work, and the hell with the reality. They want one more body between them and Congress and the public when it all hits the fan. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2007-04-12 08:41 |
| #6 The wheels are falling off of this administration. |
| Posted by: SR-71 2007-04-12 08:35 |
| #5 I can't believe he's had such difficulty in finding someone. Please send him Rantburg's URL. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2007-04-12 08:33 |
| #4 A "War Czar"? Like those "Drug Czars" who run that "War on Drugs"? Sounds to me like Bush is giving up. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2007-04-12 06:31 |
| #3 ..........wasn't it just a few weeks ago that Rumsfeld wouldn't even want to see or listen to a General Officer? Strange, very strange. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-04-12 06:08 |
| #2 Only an idiot or a fool would challenge "The Peter Principle" of this position...It's like asking someone to be governor of the Moon, (ie, 'The Buck' would never stop with him)! |
| Posted by: smn 2007-04-12 04:57 |
| #1 Fire people if they fail, stop being the frat boy and valuing loyalty over competence. And stop expecting the press to do anything - get out there and sell the war- push it, let people know What we are doing, WHY we are doing it - and how well we are doing now. Don't just let it lay on the floor expecting the press to do anything. You have to do what Reagan did - by pass the press and get the word out to the American People that this is worth doing - and we are doing it! Yes I am pissed at the president for dropping the ball once again. Harvard MBA shoeing his stripes as a manger, not as a leader. McCain has more cojones in terms of vocalizing support for the effort over there. Meanwhile Bush panders in a photo-op and leaves our borders wide open in his refusal to push for renforcment first and enforcement at the border - immigration amnesty is what he wants. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-04-12 04:52 |