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Is Obama now deliberately avoiding the term "czar"?

"Today the White House announced the President?s new White House Cybersecurity Coordinator, Howard Schmidt."

Last September on the White House website, Anita Dunn called out critics of the term "czar":

 ... Although some Members have asked serious questions around the makeup of the White House staff, the bulk of the noise you hear began first with partisan commentators, suggesting that this is somehow a new and sinister development that threatens our democracy. This is, of course, ridiculous....

... Darrell Issa, a Republican from California and one of the leaders in calling for an investigation into the Obama Administration?s use of "czars", had to admit to Fox News that he had never raised any objections to the Bush Administration?s use of "czars". Many of these members who now decry the practice have called on Presidents in the past to appoint "czars" to coordinate activities within the government to address immediate challenges. What is clear is that all of this energy going into these attacks could be used to have a constructive conversation about bringing this country together to address our challenges moving forward ? and it doesn?t take a "czar" to bring that about! Just some folks willing to act in good faith.

You can call people out or you can just stop doing nonessential things that open you to criticism. And when you're engaged in a grand enterprise of amassing power, calling your minions "czars" is unnecessary, to say the least.

Full post as published by Althouse on December 22, 2009 (boomark / email).