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Home Front: Politix
President Obama's 'Czars'
2009-09-07
Afghanistan Czar: Richard Holbrooke

AIDS Czar: Jeffrey Crowley

Auto recovery Czar: Ed Montgomery

Border Czar: Alan Bersin

California Water Czar: David J. Hayes

Car Czar: Ron Bloom

Central Region Czar: Dennis Ross

Domestic Violence Czar: Lynn Rosenthal

Drug Czar: Gil Kerlikowske

Economic Czar: Paul Volcker

Energy and Environment Czar: Carol Brower

Faith-Based Czar: Joshua DuBois

Great Lakes Czar: Cameron Davis

Green Jobs Czar: Van Jones

Guantanamo Closure Czar: Daniel Fried

Health Czar: Nancy-Ann DeParle

Information Czar: Vivek Kundra

International Climate Czar: Todd Stern

Intelligence Czar: Dennis Blair

Mideast Peace Czar: George Mitchell

Pay Czar: Kenneth Feinberg

Regulatory Czar: Cass Sunstein

Science Czar: John Holdren

Stimulus Accountability Czar: Earl Devaney

Sudan Czar: J. Scott Gration

TARP Czar: Herb Allison

Terrorism Czar: John Brennan

Technology Czar: Aneesh Chopra

Urban Affairs Czar: Adolfo Carrion Jr.

Weapons Czar: Ashton Carter

WMD Policy Czar: Gary Samore
Posted by:Fred

#11  We have a Manufacturing Tsar. Ron Bloom, former SEIU big wig.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2009-09-07 16:56  

#10  Where's the Putz Czar?
Posted by: JohnQC   2009-09-07 15:58  

#9  Not only approval, but oversight and appropriations. Congress has little formal leverage over them because they have little formal authority or power. But their direct access to the oval office gives them tremendous informal, and unaccountable, power.

Both parties have used them, but it has gotten out of hand and will be reined in in 2011.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2009-09-07 14:59  

#8  Therein lies the problem Abu.

They are 'outside' the departments but have near-presidential authority over the department. Separate but near equal to (and in some cases exceeding) the cabinet secretary.

They are also outside the normal checks and balances built into the system. While its normal for a president to appoint a special advisor in a certain area to 'advise him' in special circumstances - no president has appointed so may and with such wide-ranging authority. Just what the fark is the 'International Climate Czar' anyway?

All according to design - to circumvent the congressional approval process.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2009-09-07 14:44  

#7  I don't get it. Are these people working under existing departments and cabinet secretaries or are they independent? If they are working under existing departments and secretaries then why all the hoopla? If they are independent shouldn't there be some kind of legislation that authorizes their activities and any expenditure of funds for said activities?
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2009-09-07 13:17  

#6  #5 So with all these czars... what is Obama actually doing? Any work at all?
Posted by: DarthVader 2009-09-07 10:36

Darth, when you are the ONE everyone has been waiting for, you don't need to work. Just be who you are and bask in all the adoration.
Posted by: WolfDog   2009-09-07 11:28  

#5  So with all these czars... what is Obama actually doing? Any work at all?
Posted by: DarthVader   2009-09-07 10:36  

#4  The MSM isn't going to investigate these 'czars'. I guess it's up to Drudge, talk radio and blogs.
Posted by: Steve White   2009-09-07 09:25  

#3  If you cannot handle that executive office with the current appointment staff and have to double it, you are clearly incompetent.

These 40 something fools are not good managers anyway. What a train wreck. Maybe it is time to audit the executive branch - especially the white house to find out how much all this crap is costing us.
Posted by: newc   2009-09-07 06:52  

#2  Let's call them Kaisers. Same word, different language, more accurate connotation.
Posted by: crosspatch   2009-09-07 02:53  

#1  May the Lord bless and keep the czars Â… far away from us! (Fiddler on the Roof)
Posted by: DMFD   2009-09-07 00:36  

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