GOP Does Double 180 Flip-Flops on Czars
The GOP and Fox News spent 2009 railing against so-called “czars” — actually senior level Executive Branch officials — appointed by Pres. Obama. Of course, presidents have been appointing czars for decades. See the chart below.
Recently, one of their leaders, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the GOP candidate for president in 2008, demanded that Pres. Obama appoint what he called an “Ebola czar,” to coordinate the government’s efforts in fighting the diseases. Predictably, after the president did just that — the appointment of Ron Klain, Vice Pres. Biden’s former chief of staff, was announced yesterday — now Republicans are in a full, spittle-spewing rage over the appointment.
Adding another layer of hypocrisy to the mile-deep pile: For over a year, Republicans in the Senate have blocked the appointment of a surgeon general, because the National Rifle Association objects to the candidate’s position that gun violence in America is a major health issue.
