Bush wants to abdicate role as commander in chief to unelected political appointee

Bush should be abdicating his role as president. The "wimp factor" is back. So they're looking for a "war czar" to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And apparently a slew of top generals said "thanks, no thanks." The Washington Post reports:

At least three retired four-star generals approached by the White House in recent weeks have declined to be considered for the position, the sources said, underscoring the administration's difficulty in enlisting its top recruits to join the team after five years of warfare that have taxed the United States and its military.

"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.

He didn't just say "no, thanks," he went public with his "no, thanks" - that's a big deal. It means that a senior general, trusted by the Bush administration to take over the entire war effort, just publicly rebuked Bush and his entire war non-policy.

I think there is also a constitutional issue here - the president can't just abdicate his constitutional role of commander in chief to some flunky:

The new czar would also have "tasking authority," or the power to issue directions, over other agencies, they said.

So this political patronage job will have control over numerous government agencies, including control over the Pentagon and the entire war itself, but the person won't have been elected or even confirmed by the Congress. Are they mad?

Rep. Rahm Emanuel weighs in:

Emanuel's Response to War Czar

CHICAGO, IL - Today, U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) released the following statement in response to reports that the White House cannot find a war czar to oversee war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The Washington Post reports that the White House wants to appoint a war czar to run the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but they can't find anyone to do it. Someone needs to tell Steve Hadley that position is filled, it's the Commander in Chief, unless the decider's become the delegator."