In response to the ongoing military troubles in the Middle East, the White House has come up with a novel new strategy- appoint some guy to be in charge of overseeing the wars. The media have dubbed this the "war czar" strategy, but in practice, the idea has not gone over very well. Three prominent retired US Generals have all refused the job when offered, one of whom said the very idea was stupid and insulting.

The idea of a War Czar is supposed to be an effort to circumvent infighting between military and civilian war leaders, unifying everyone behind the wisdom and planning of a single competent individual. An obvious question is begged by such a plan- what does this say of the competence of the people in the positions that already exist?