Obama Czars

Obama's Czars, appointed without the Advice and Consent of the Senate.

By POLITICO STAFF | 9/4/09 6:19 PM EDT

Afghanistan Czar: Richard Holbrooke

AIDS Czar: Jeffrey Crowley

Auto recovery Czar: Ed Montgomery

Border Czar: Alan Bersin

California Water Czar: David J. Hayes

Car Czar: Ron Bloom **

Central Region Czar: Dennis Ross

Domestic Violence Czar: Lynn Rosenthal

Drug Czar: Gil Kerlikowske

Economic Czar: Paul Volcker

Energy and Environment Czar: Carol Brower

Faith-Based Czar: Joshua DuBois

Great Lakes Czar: Cameron Davis

Green Jobs Czar: Van Jones

Guantanamo Closure Czar: Daniel Fried

Health Czar: Nancy-Ann DeParle

Information Czar: Vivek Kundra

International Climate Czar: Todd Stern

Intelligence Czar: Dennis Blair

Mideast Peace Czar: George Mitchell

Pay Czar: Kenneth Feinberg

Regulatory Czar: Cass Sunstein

Science Czar: John Holdren

Stimulus Accountability Czar: Earl Devaney

Sudan Czar: J. Scott Gration

TARP Czar: Herb Allison

Terrorism Czar: John Brennan

Technology Czar: Aneesh Chopra

Urban Affairs Czar: Adolfo Carrion Jr.

Weapons Czar: Ashton Carter

WMD Policy Czar: Gary Samore
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** The first car czar resigned.

CBS News (July 13, 2009) Steven Rattner, head of the Obama administration's auto task force, is leaving that post and will be replaced by former steelworkers official Ron Bloom.

Rattner won praise for the job he did managing the massive restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler. But his government service came under a cloud with an investigation of an influence peddling scandal back in New York.

Authorities have said that Rattner, an investment banker, was unlikely to face charges in the investigation which involved a giant state pension fund that provides retirement benefits for more than 1 million government employees.

In a statement, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner praised Rattner's work on the auto industry overhaul.

Time Magazine (April 20, 2009) "Two-minute bio" of Rattner who was a New York Times journalist. He was close friends with Arthur Sulzberger.

But now, the private equity firm Rattner co-founded is the focus of pay-to-play accusations made by the New York State Attorney General and Securities and Exchange Commission. While Rattner has not been charged with anything, he was an executive at the firm during the time the alleged misdeeds took place and reportedly may have met with those accused of criminal activity. Details remain scant, but the case involves payments to people who helped make business connections between Rattner's firm and the New York State pension fund. The Obama Administration claims it was aware of the pending investigation when it appointed Rattner.

Newsweek (August 2, 2008) Being Mr. Big
Financier and Democratic moneyman Steve Rattner seems to have it all: Looks can be deceiving.

Washington Post (July 14, 2009) Rattner Resigns as Obama's Point Man on the Auto Industry

is short tenure as head of the autos task force came under a cloud in April, when details of alleged influence-peddling surfaced.

At the center of the two-year investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the office of New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo are millions of dollars in payments made by investment firms including Quadrangle Group, the private-equity firm founded by Rattner in 2000, to middlemen known as placement agents, who helped the firms win investments from the pension fund of New York state and other local governments.

In SEC filings, a "senior executive" at Quadrangle, whom sources have identified as Rattner, is described as having been directly involved in arranging a $1 million-plus payment to a middleman. Rattner headed Quadrangle until February, when he was tapped to join the Obama administration's auto task force.

New York Magazine (August 2, 2009) Exit the Czar is a lengthy (8 page) profile of Rattner that isn't flattering. His wife served as national finance chair of the Democratic National Committee for five years, until 2006. Rattner recruited Ron Bloom to be his second in command. Bloom worked for the Steelworker's Union. The pension fund scandal begins at the bottom of page 6.

You can, from there, follow the money to Hank Morris and Peggy Lipton (Mod squad fame.)