Washington » Sen. Bob Bennett blasted President Barack Obama this week for having too many so-called "czars." But Bennett has in the past advocated the designation of at least one czar.
On the Utah Republican's Web site, he takes credit for urging the appointment of a "Year 2000 Czar" to deal with the computer problems at the turn of the Century.
"Successfully urged President [Bill] Clinton to appoint a 'Year 2000 Czar," says an item on Bennett's list of accomplishments.
The senator on Tuesday joined other Republican lawmakers in charging that the president was bypassing Congress by appointing special advisers nicknamed czars.
Democratic National Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan joked that maybe a latent Y2K bug corrupted Bennett's files so that he forgot he never objected to President George W. Bush's "47 policy czars" and that Bennett himself urged the creation of a czar spot under Clinton.
"But it's more likely Senator Bennett's simply fine wearing the crown of the czar of hypocrisy in a ludicrous attempt to score some cheap political points," Sevugan said.
Bennett's office said the criticism isn't fair because the Y2K czar was a "temporary position for a temporary situation" and that Bennett asked for the position only after learning no Cabinet member had responsibility for preventing computer problems.
"Bennett's concern with the Obama administration's czars is that we have no information on their specific duties and whether or not their authority is limited to ensure that the czars do not undermine current Cabinet positions within the executive office," Bennett spokeswoman Tara Hendershott said.
