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White House seeks war "czar"

blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
edited April 2007 in A Moving Train
White House seeks "czar" to oversee wars: report

Wed Apr 11, 2:00 AM ET

The White House wants to appoint a high-profile overseer to manage the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but has had trouble finding someone to take the job, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

At least three retired four-star generals approached by the White House in recent weeks have turned down the position, the report said.

The war "czar" would report directly to President George W. Bush and national security adviser Stephen Hadley and would have authority to issue directions to the Pentagon and the State Department, the newspaper said.

Retired Marine Gen. John "Jack" Sheehan, a former top NATO commander, was among those who rejected the job, the newspaper reported.

"The very fundamental issue is, they don't know where the hell they're going," Sheehan told the Post.

Sheehan said he believes that Vice President Dick Cheney and his hawkish allies remain more powerful within the administration than pragmatists looking for a way out of Iraq, the Post reported.

"So rather than go over there, develop an ulcer and eventually leave, I said, 'No, thanks,' " Sheehan told the paper.

Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane and retired Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston were also approached and said they were not interested in the position, the newspaper said, citing sources.

Ralston declined to comment while Keane confirmed he turned down the job, the Post said.

The White House has not publicly disclosed its interest in creating the position, hoping to find someone to fill the post before the job is announced.

Officials said they were still considering options to reorganize the White House's management of the two wars, the Post said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070411/pl_nm/iraq_afghan_usczar_dc_1

This just sounds so Orwellian... I do like the comments by Gen Sheehan, though.
My whole life
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
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Comments

  • dunkmandunkman Posts: 19,646
    Czar or Tsar

    whats the difference?
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • gue_bariumgue_barium Posts: 5,515
    I'll do it, I'll take the job.
    all posts by ©gue_barium are protected under US copyright law and are not to be reproduced, exchanged or sold
    except by express written permission of ©gue_barium, the author.
  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    blackredyellow wrote:
    White House seeks "czar" to oversee wars:

    i'll do it. my first plan of action will be to declare a war on idiocy and the mundane. :)
    oh and i wnat to be known as csarina catherine, thank you very much. you may lay floral tributes at my feet or pull your finger out and do something spectacular. the call is yours. :)
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    don't we have people who do that already?


    Oh wait...right, that's the problem to begin with...nevermind.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • puremagicpuremagic Posts: 1,907
    We have a "czar" he is called the Commander-in-Chief during wartime. As you have stated COUNTLESS times, YOU, are the Commander-in-Chief, so do YOUR job.

    Now is not the time to try and pass the responsibility of the lives of our troops or the American public off on another, ineffective go-between government lackey position with no constitutional war powers. The American public is already aware of the track records of previous "czar" type positions, they don't work.
    SIN EATERS--We take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us so that the rest of our case can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible and absolutely necessary.
  • blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    puremagic wrote:
    We have a "czar" he is called the Commander-in-Chief during wartime. As you have stated COUNTLESS times, YOU, are the Commander-in-Chief, so do YOUR job.

    Now is not the time to try and pass the responsibility of the lives of our troops or the American public off on another, ineffective go-between government lackey position with no constitutional war powers. The American public is already aware of the track records of previous "czar" type positions, they don't work.

    The position oversees the Pentagon and State Department and works with the national security adviser. Sounds like the position of president to me and he is trying to get someone to do his job that knows what they are doing.

    This position sounds about as worthless as the Director of National Intelligence.
    My whole life
    was like a picture
    of a sunny day
    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    Great another layer of bureacracy, just what we ned.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • polarispolaris Posts: 3,527
    i think this would be a great position to "reward" his supporters with ... forget about ambassador to fiji - let's make him a "CZAR" ... yee haw ... there are strings attached tho ... literally ...
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    Looks like they are looking for a Fall Guy.
    ...
    Iraq ia a tough problem. The Iraqi 'Security Forces' are a fucking JOKE. Sure, give 'em a uniform and an AK-47 with a warped barrel and have them roam the streets... but, who is doing all of the logistics work over there? Who is providing air support? Combat medical/surgical facilities? Iraqis? I don't think so. That whole, 'Stand Up the Iraqi Army' is a fucking JOKE and has been from the beginning. Iraq is decades away from standing up on their own.
    So... we stay for 20 years while they kill our guys one or two at a time... and shovel billions upon billions of tax dollars into that tire fire they got over there... and when we leave, there is STILL no guarantee they won't keep kiling each other. Or just say fuck it.
    Both are shitty options, but that's all we got. Eat a plate of shit or a bowl of shit... pick one. And no matter how much sugar and honey you pour over it... bottom line... it's still shit.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • normnorm Posts: 31,146
    blackredyellow wrote:
    The war "czar" would report directly to President George W. Bush and national security adviser Stephen Hadley and would have authority to issue directions to the Pentagon and the State Department, the newspaper said.

    U.S. Constitution: Article II: Section 2
    The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States;

    this goes beyond anything any past administration has come up with......i really don't hate anyone........i really hate GWB.....:mad:
  • idratherbeidratherbe Posts: 367
    Cosmo wrote:
    Looks like they are looking for a Fall Guy.
    ...
    And no matter how much sugar and honey you pour over it... bottom line... it's still shit.

    My first thought exactly (Fall Guy)!

    And agree 100% with the second statement here, too. A pig with lipstick on is still... a pig.

    ~peace~
    Never allow someone to be your Priority,
    While allowing yourself to be their Option.

    ‹^›_‹(ô¿ô)›_‹^›

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