Now we know the White House spin

The Washington Times this morning has followed up on the "war czar" story that The Washington Post broke yesterday. Basically, the Times story is a straight reporting of the White House reaction to the Post story, and leaves the reader wondering, "So, what's really going on here?" Too bad the Times couldn't talk to anyone other than the White House spokeswoman.

America needs a President, not a "War Czar"

"War Czar": Now there's a title that would stand out on a resume! It seems that the White House has to mediate so many battles between the departments of Defense and State that President Bush has decided to appoint someone to do this full time. It turns out, though, that it's not so easy to find someone to take the job.

Retired Marine Gen. John J. "Jack" Sheehan, one of the people who turned down the job, noted that the fundamental problem doesn't lie with either Defense or State.

"The very fundamental issue is, they don't know where the hell they're going," he is reported to have said.

Gen. Sheehan is right. Squabbling among subordinates is often a symptom of ineffective leadership. President Bush needs to lay out a clear and realistic vision of where U.S. policy in Iraq and Afghanistan is going. And then he needs to sell this vision to the American people.

The policy will not be sustainable unless the President can sell it to the American public. And right now, the public is clear that it will not accept anything that doesn't not involve the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

President Bush needs to own up to the responsibilities of the presidency himself, rather than trying to appoint someone else to do his job.