Supporters of presidential czars say the positions are helpful by focusing attention on a big issue and making someone responsible for it. Critics claim they can lead to turf fights and add another cumbersome bureaucratic layer to government.

A look at how recent presidents have expanded the number of czars:

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"President Obama has reportedly asked his Cabinet to share in the sacrifice that all Americans are making by slashing a painful $100 million from his budget. But while the media will spin this another example of a no-nonsense president taking a chainsaw to the budget, the one thing they're missing is that the chainsaw is really more like a dull butter knife."

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