You’re missing the forest for the trees. Most of us conservatives have never liked the term, as it reeks of Russian totalitarianism, but having a “czar” or two or four is NOT the same as Obama using it now to prevent Congress from looking into these people’s backgrounds and, to date, appoint more than 40. Reagan had what, 2 czars? Bush, maybe 4? Far cry from the 45 or 47 or whatever it is this week with Obama. If Obama was using his “czar power” reasonably, like keeping it under double digits, I wouldn’t be objecting. Instead, it is an obvious scoot-around to keep his appointment choices (some with criminal backgrounds or anti-American histories) from being examined by our elected officials. Nancy Pelosi used the term repeatedly prior to the November election in regards to the auto industry, so even if it isn’t an “official” term, it is one that the current Speaker of the House used long before Obama was elected, as did many other congressional Democrats.

I was too young to know what was going on when Reagan appointed his drug czar, but knowing how the Democrats maligned him for years, I doubt that “no one objected” as you claim. I’d have to do some research on it, but based on history and Democrat behavior, I’m sure there was plenty of objection back then.

Left-wingers should be extremely worried about this acceptance of so many non-vetted people who answer only to the president… if 45 non-vetted czars are okey-dokey for Pres. Obama, when he is voted out in 2012 (and I think the writing is on the wall that will be a strong likelihood), he has opened the door for the same to be done by Republicans, and to have 45, or 55 conservative czars. None of which we’ve elected or scrutinized. Obama has gone overboard and set a dangerous precedent to go outside formal channels to the extent he has.

The point is and has always been that we never voted for these people, Congress has not been allowed to investigate their pasts, and we are beholden to what they want to do to America. A “drug czar” was meant to curtail illegal drug activities, not to micromanage everyday Americans’ lives… we have Obama’s Internet/cyber czar, a car czar, a green jobs czar, a global warming/energy czar, a bank bailout czar, an urban czar, a regulatory czar… it’s absolutely out of control. And oh, yeah, he does have a drug czar, too.

If a Republican was president right now doing this kind of shady shenanigans by not filling established departments (which must be vetted) and was instead willy-nilly putting people with Communist/activist background into prominent czar positions, such as Van Jones, believe me, I’d be protesting LOUDLY about that. I’m funny that way… as are many conservatives… we are not like liberals who scream for years about the war when a Republican is in the POTUS spot, but are now hypocritically silent with a Democrat POTUS. So the war against terror in Afghanistan and Iraq is OK now, statists? You do know that the numbers in Iraq have simply shifted to Afghanistan and that no significant change is planned for any time soon?

Additionally, we’re not being told how much is being paid to the staffs of the czars, which is another campaign promise broken by this administration. So, what ARE their salaries and how many staffers to the 40-plus czars are there? I know that most czars are earning 6 figures.

You wrote: “The Right has now glommed onto it to in a cynical attempt to portray Obama as a socialist tyrant.”

Great word, “glommed.” However, you have not read what I’ve written and many others have written deeply enough, but just pulled from it what you want. That’s OK. No worries. You’re allowed to be in agreement with Pres. Obama’s out-of-control czar appointments. I’m guessing that if a future Republican president appoints 50 or 60 czars with questionable pasts that Congress cannot investigate, you’ll think that will be simply peachy as well. Me, no. I object to this no matter who is in office. It’s abuse of power and lacks transparency. It is another power-grab and further dismantling of the limits of power set forth in our nation’s documents by our founding fathers.

The Right has now glommed onto it to in a cynical attempt to portray Obama as a socialist tyrant.