Over on the Sunlight Foundation blog, Ellen Miller asks White House: Where is the CTO?. Pardon my bluntness, Ellen, but what are you smoking? Don’t you think there are higher priorities right now?

It seems to me that Obama and his administration have their hands more than full working on the economic problems we’re facing along with rebuilding some of our important international relationships. I’m as much of a technology geek as the next guy, but it really won’t bother me if the punt on the whole CTO thing for a few months while some of the bigger fish are fried.

I can’t say quite why, but this call for immediate action on a CTO feels like a bit of headline grabbing and irresponsibility at the same time. Sure, they could come out and name a CTO tomorrow and I’d applaud the move. But I really hope they’re keeping their priorities in check. Part of being a good leader is deciding what can wait and what cannot. Appointing a CTO can wait. Fixing our economy cannot.

Update: It looks like Kara has jumped on this too.

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