Foreign Policy points out that President Obama has appointed not only more czars than any other US President– he’s topped the Russian Romanovs themselves, who had 18 czars over a period of generations. Obama’s czars include ones for not just drugs but terrorism, the border, TARP, urban issues, faith issues, the stimulus, energy, health care, regulations, nuclear non-proliferation, technology, and closing Guantanamo Bay.

Of course, after much talk of a “car czar” and then much talk about there being no car czar, Obama appointed Steven Rattner to what basically amounts to a “car czar” position anyway. So, for our purposes we’ll count Rattner as a czar, too.

GM insiders say the company will present two choices in its submitted report today: more bailout funds from the government, or government backing for a bankruptcy filing.

Last-minute concessions negotiations between the UAW and both GM and Chrysler were said to continue all through last night.

President Obama backed away from a prior promise to appoint a car czar to oversee GM and Chrysler, instead deciding to name a Presidential Auto Task Force under the leadership of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Ron Bloom, a former adviser to the United Steelworkers that told the steel workers’ union to accept major concessions as part of bankruptcy filings. Will Bloom do the same with the UAW and GM? Those who’ve previously worked with Bloom think so.

“The management of the Big Three are probably not going to like what Ron Bloom has to say; the UAW is not going to like what Ron Bloom has to say; and certainly the stockholders and creditors will not like what he has to say,” said Michael Psaros, a co-founder of private-equity group KPS Capital Partners, who has worked with Mr. Bloom in and out of bankruptcy courts. He adds that Mr. Bloom has “repeatedly shown an ability to transform struggling companies into profitable going concerns.”

GM and Chrysler’s plans for viability are to be submitted to the Treasury Department by 5pm today, Tuesday and are required to include concessions from the UAW on labor and healthcare costs. In addition, GM’s bondholders are required to make similar concessions on debt and according to insiders in on the negotiations, the bondholders presented a plan to the GM board on Monday.

What else will the reports include? What else can GM cut?

GM could announce plans to axe one or more brands, including Hummer, Saab, Saturn, or even its old mainstay, Pontiac. GM has previously said that all these brands are on the table. It has also said in previous filings with the government before a bailout was granted that it could decrease American plants from 47 to 38 within four years. The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that GM will outline a bankruptcy contingency plan in its report, although it has previously said that bankruptcy is untenable. An insider reports that GM will argue that the government would spend more on the company in a bankruptcy situation than it would to keep GM from bankruptcy.

Chrysler could announce a renegotiation of its secured debt (it’s not saddled with the massive amounts of unsecured debt that GM is), plant closings, or international partnerships with Nissan or Fiat, which recently took large shares of the company in exchange for partnership plans for small cars.

The deadline for GM and Chrysler’s restructuring is tomorrow, February 17th. President Barack Obama has not yet appointed a car czar, and word is that he will instead designate a panel of experts, a “task force,” rather than one central figure to evaluate GM and Chrysler’s proposals for validity.

The panel will consist of current administration officials such as Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner and economic adviser Lawrence Summers, along with input from other officials across a spectrum of federal agencies. Obama’s administration will balance the desires of the auto industry for more billions in government bailout funds vs. a possible bankruptcy for the automakers and what that could mean for the economy. The Presidential Task Force will also include a seat at the table for Big Labor, with special assistant to the president of United Steelworkers, Ron Bloom, expected to be appointed to the task force. Bloom is considered to be an expert on retiree healthcare funds.

GM and Chrysler, meanwhile, are finishing up their plans for viability, after which they’ll negotiate with the government until a March 31 final deadline for reports. GM has already stopped and restarted concessions talks with UAW once over this weekend; the concessions from unions (and also from debtors) are required strings attached to further bailout money.

Without further money, GM and Chrysler will most likely go into bankruptcy. On the Sunday morning news shows, Obama’s top aide David Axelrod did not divulge whether Obama would allow GM to go into bankruptcy or what effect that could have on the economy. GM and Chrysler execs have said that consumers would not buy autos from a carmaker in bankruptcy.

UPDATE: Despite earlier intimations, the White House has announced that the panel will not be announced today. Press secretary Robert Gibbs declined to confirm whether Obama had considered any candidates for car czar before deciding to appoint a task force instead.

Forbes takes a dim view of this development:

“It amounts to a second, government-dominated board of directors for the two companies. Are two boards better than a single, empowered manager who could oversee the restructuring? With a committee in charge, no one person can take the credit–or the blame–for the still undetermined fates of Chrysler and GM. Committees are also notoriously sluggish and unwieldy.”

The proposed automotive bailout car czar is almost a reality. Five Senators have urged President Barack Obama to quickly appoint a team to oversee the federal bailout of GM and Chrysler. The group included Michigan Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow.

The only question left is who, exactly, will fill the post.

A leading candidate for the position of “car czar” is said to be Steven Rattner, a partner in the private-equity firm Quadrangle Group in New York City.

Speculation is rife that, if not the car czar, a key member of the car czar’s team will be analyst Stephen Girsky, who leads a private-equity firm. Girsky has consulted for General Motors and recently advised the UAW in its efforts for federal loans. On February 4, Girsky attended meetings on auto issues with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Congressional leaders.