The Lure of the Czars: It took the Romanovs almost 300 years to produce 18 czars. Obama did it in less than 100 days. - Reason Magazine

"The czar is a perfect techocratic role—appealing to Obama, who has been much praised for 'surrounding himself with smart people.' The appeal of the czar rests on the belief that if we could just figure out the right smart, competent, well-intentioned person to put charge, everything would go more smoothly. This is often true on a micro-level. Having someone in charge of a school field trip, or a division inside a large company is a good idea. But the bigger and more complex the problem, the less likely even the most impressive technocrat will be able to set things in order, especially since these czars lack the very thing that defined the Russian czars: total control over the lives of their subjects."