I hope the White House rebuts the front-page story in this morning’s Washington Post: “3 Generals Spurn the Position of War ‘Czar.’”
The story claims President Bush is seeking a virtual surrogate president to oversee his most important responsibility: conduct of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“The White House wants to appoint a high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with authority to issue directions to the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies, but it has had trouble finding anyone able and willing to take the job, according to people close to the situation.”
The way you usually get the job of issuing “directions” to the Defense and State departments is by being elected president. It is the central function of a president’s job.
“Of all the cares or concerns of government, the direction of war most peculiarly demands those qualities which distinguish the exercise of power by a single hand,” wrote Alexander Hamilton in Federalist No. 74. Hamilton was explaining the commander-in-chief clause.
The Post interviewed retired Marine Gen. Jack Sheehan and retired Army Gen. Jack Keane, who it says the White House considered for the job. The third general who spurned Bush, according to the Post, was retired Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston.
By the Post’s reporting, at least, the White House appeared to confirm the story. “Gordon Johndroe, a National Security Council spokesman, would not discuss contacts with candidates but confirmed that officials are considering a newly empowered czar,” the Post said. Johndroe told the Post: “The White House is looking at a number of options on how to structure the Iraq and Afghanistan office in light of Meghan O’Sullivan’s departure and the completion of both the Iraq and Afghanistan strategic reviews.”
But replacing O’Sullivan, who was deputy national-security adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan, is different than inserting a new official into the chain of command between the president and secretary of Defense.
Perhaps the Post got it wrong. Perhaps its lead paragraph exaggerates the authority and role of the position the president is seeking to fill. If so, the White House should say so, today.
Since the November election, President Bush has rebuilt his entire Iraq team, changing his secretary of Defense, his CENTCOM commander, his Iraq field commander and his ambassador to Iraq. He even moved John Negroponte from director of national intelligence to deputy secretary of State, where he has responsibility for Iraq.
Commander-in-Chief Bush would not be micromanaging if he personally directed his new Iraq-war team. He would be doing the job the Constitution gives him, and the people elected him to do.