Wanted: One War Czar

Desperate to salvage some semblance of his legacy and reputation, George Bush's latest grand scheme involves appointing a Grand Poobah War Czar to oversee operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and coordinate efforts between the State and Defense departments with the military.

Only problem is, nobody wants the billet.

"The very fundamental issue is, they don't know where the hell they're going," said retired Marine Gen. John J. "Jack" Sheehan, a former top NATO commander who was among those rejecting the job. Sheehan said he believes that Vice President Cheney and his hawkish allies remain more powerful within the administration than pragmatists looking for a way out of Iraq. "So rather than go over there, develop an ulcer and eventually leave, I said, 'No, thanks,' " he said.

The White House has not publicly disclosed its interest in creating the position, hoping to find someone President Bush can anoint and announce for the post all at once. Officials said they are still considering options for how to reorganize the White House's management of the two conflicts. If they cannot find a person suited for the sort of specially empowered office they envision, they said, they may have to retain the current structure.

When I say nobody wants the billet, I mean nobody. Not even Keane, and the Splurge was his idea. (Dave Petraeus has been charged with implementing it, but it is not his idea. He advocated an entirely different strategy in his thesis.)

Should they find a patsy someone to take the job, the new czar would report directly to Bush and (DCI) Steven Hadley, and would have the title of assistant to the president, just as Hadley and the other highest-ranking White House officials have. The new czar would also have "tasking authority," or the power to issue directions, over other agencies, they said.

General Sheehan offered up his exact reason for declining the job: Dick Cheney.

"There's the residue of the Cheney view -- 'We're going to win, al-Qaeda's there' -- that justifies anything we did," he said. "And then there's the pragmatist view -- how the hell do we get out of Dodge and survive? Unfortunately, the people with the former view are still in the positions of most influence." Sheehan said he wrote a note March 27 declining interest.

Enough already...

It's time to

ITMFA!!!