[Infowarrior] - WH still seeking cybersecurity "czar"

[Richard Forno]

White House Still Has a Vacancy for a Lesser Czar

By Al Kamen
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/28/AR2009072802903.html?hpid=sec-politics

In an East Room speech at the end of May, President Obama declared a  
new "strategic national asset": the computer networks our country  
depends on to keep trains running and planes from colliding, to  
control weapons systems and allow banks to process payments. He also  
promised to "personally" select a White House cybersecurity  
coordinator to advise him on all things cyber and to coordinate cyber- 
policies across the government.
Two months later, White House staffers have approached a number of  
prospects, but there's still no white smoke, our colleague Ellen  
Nakashima reports, and several said "no thanks."

Those who have politely declined a prospective vetting include former  
Virginia congressman Tom Davis (R), Microsoft exec Scott Charney,  
Symantec Chairman John W. Thompson (whose interest was gauged months  
ago) and retired Air Force Gen. Harry D. Raduege Jr., a former  
director of the Defense Information Systems Agency.

What's not to like about being Obama's cyber-czar?

First, you're not really a czar, reporting as you would to national  
security adviser Jim Jones and White House economic adviser Larry  
Summers. "What real authority do you have?" said one of those who  
demurred. "Who's going to go to Jim Jones and say, 'This is what you  
need to do?'. . . Do you have the president behind you?"

Second, "It's a huge, huge turf war. You have Defense fighting the  
Treasury fighting the intel groups fighting Homeland Security" for  
control, he said.

"The sheep," said cyber-expert Jim Lewis, "don't want a shepherd."

Lewis described the job as "bag-holder in chief -- if something bad  
happens, you're responsible for cybersecurity, even if you don't have  
the authority to pull it off."

So far, CongressDaily reported Monday, former White House special  
adviser and longtime government computer security expert Howard  
Schmidt and former Clinton administration assistant defense secretary  
Frank Kramer are seen as front-runners for the job.

"The president is personally committed to finding the right person for  
this job, and a rigorous selection process is well underway," said  
White House spokesman Nick Shapiro.