The American habit attempting to name government positions after a hereditary, autocratic dynasty has always baffled me. We have a Drug Czar, Bush proposed a War Czar, and there was talk of a Car Czar position opening up – but Obama seems to have nixed that idea:

President Obama has dropped the idea of appointing a single, powerful “car czar” to oversee the revamping of General Motors and Chrysler and will instead keep the politically delicate task in the hands of his most senior economic advisers, a top administration official said Sunday night.

Mr. Obama is designating the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, and the chairman of the National Economic Council, Lawrence H. Summers, to oversee a presidential panel on the auto industry. Mr. Geithner will also supervise the $17.4 billion in loan agreements already in place with G.M. and Chrysler, said the official, who insisted on anonymity.

Story on New York Times