The “Glenn Becks” and “Michelle Malkins” of the world, with a little help from certain GOP legislators like House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, have a new conspiracy they would like the right-wing fringe to adopt: “The Czar – Shadow Government” theory.

FOX has been giving a lot of time to this idea lately, and I’m starting to hear it arise in common conversation, so I thought it best to set aside my usual Friday “Chaos Theory” installment, and tackle this issue instead.

This latest idea involves the following concerns/claims:

1 - There are about 30 of these “czars” in the administration…they are not subject to Senate confirmation, yet supposedly wield tremendous power. This unrestrained power in the hands of “unchecked” individuals represents part of Obama’s desire to form some sort of “shadow government” that operates outside the purview of Congress.

2 - There is an insinuation…that because these officials are called “czars“…and because “czars” is a term derived from Russian history…and because Russia once a communist nation…that the czars represent yet another sign that America is becoming Socialist/Marxist/Communist.

Politico.com, did a further disservice to this debate in an article where the author, Lisa Leher, seemed to have no knowledge of who the “czars” actually were, she proceeded to misidentify several individuals as examples of czars (the people she mistakenly named, the “California Water Czar aka Deputy Secretary of the Interior” and the “Border Czar aka Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs”…actually DO undergo Senate confirmation), and then she misrepresented the czars as having significant “power.” So…let’s address each of the claims above with a few important facts:

1 – CLAIM – Czars are unconfirmed posts with lots of power:

There are around 30 people commonly nicknamed as czars

These are not really “czars.” That is to say, not only are they not members of the long extinct Russian monarchic family…they are also not even really titled “czars.” “Czar” is just a cute, media-friendly nickname that Presidents and the media have been using since President Nixon. These people actually have real, official job titles…these cumbersome names are often replaced by “Such-and-such Czar” when the President or the media talks about these people because it is easier and less confusing. The Washington Independent provides the following examples:

“Pre-exisiting jobs:

“AIDS Czar” – Actually the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, created in 2001 by George W. Bush.

“Border Czar” – Actually the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs, created in 2003 by George W. Bush.

“California Water Czar” – Actually the Deputy Secretary of the Interior, who was given this extra portfolio by Secretary Ken Salazar in June.

“Central Region Czar” – The Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the “Central Region,” on the Nation Security Council.

“Drug Czar” – Actually the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, created in 1989 by George H.W. Bush.

“Faith-Based Czar” – Head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, created in 2001 by George W. Bush.

“Intelligence Czar” – This is actually the Director of National Intelligence, a position created in 2005.

“TARP Czar” – Actually the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability of the United States Herb Allison, who was confirmed by the Senate in June.

“Weapons Czar” – Not actually an executive branch position, but the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

New jobs held by eminent people or people previously confirmed by the Senate:

“Afghanistan Czar” – Actually the United States Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the man holding that job, Richard Holbrooke went through a Senate confirmation hearing in 1999 when he became Bill Clinton’s U.N. ambassador.

“Economic Czar” – Actually the President’s Economic Recovery Board, chaired by Paul Volcker, the deeply uncontroversial former chairman of the Federal Reserve.

“Energy and Environment Czar” – This is Carol Browner, the Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1993 to run the Environmental Protection Agency under Bill Clinton.

“Guantanamo Closure Czar” – Actually the Special Envoy to Guantanamo, Daniel Fried, who was the final Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in the Bush administration.”

These positions…the majority of them PRE-DATE Obama. That is, they were created by earlier Presidents, and while the “czar” nickname originated with Nixon, many of the positions referred to as “czars” go even further back.

Obama. That is, they were created by earlier Presidents, and while the “czar” nickname originated with Nixon, many of the positions referred to as “czars” go even further back. These so-called “czars“…most of them have tiny staffs, tiny budgets and the one thing that almost all of them have in common is actually their near-complete lack of power. They have the authority and resources to make only the smallest of policy decisions, and generally serve more as advisors to the president and Congress on specific areas of policy interest.

2 – CLAIM – Czars…are part of some sort of Communist shift in American ideology:

Really? A group of thirty government policy bureaucrats who have almost NO authority…used by both Republican and Democrat Presidents alike? Most of which were added during the George W. Bush presidency? Doesn’t seem to pass the “pinko” test.

authority…used by both Republican and Democrat Presidents alike? Most of which were added during the George W. Bush presidency? Doesn’t seem to pass the “pinko” test. Umm…for the record, the Czars (or Tsars) in Russia were an aristocratic MONARCHY . They significantly predated Communism…by about 200 years.

. They significantly predated Communism…by about 200 years. The reason “czar” is used, besides being shorter than the officials’ real titles, is to imply that these people are responsible for overseeing and being experts on their given area. We can and should file that under “d” for “duh.“

In short…to my conservative friends who are officially watching WAY to much FOX News if they are obsessing over this one: it’s a handy media nickname for policy bureaucrats and advisors. The same bureaucrats who two years ago you proudly claimed were Bush’s “brain trust” and the reason that it was acceptable for the President to not know anything about anything. You would explain that these people were Bush’s “circle of experts” who advised him on all things foreign and domestic. So, what has changed to so dramatically sway your opinion of czars? Oh yeah…there’s a new person in charge of them. Here’s Rachel Maddow’s treatment on the subject: