Here we go again- 28 yr old Political Hack appointed to Homeland Security

[RedEarth]

Inexperienced 28-Year-Old Bush Staffer Appointed to Critical Homeland Security Post

The Bush administration has appointed 28-year-old former White House staffer Doug Hoelscher as the executive director of the Homeland Security Advisory Committees.

In his new position, Hoelscher will gather expert advice “on behalf of the president and the Homeland Security secretary” from 20 other advisory boards covering “key areas of homeland security, including threats to infrastructure and preventing terrorist attacks that use weapons of mass destruction.”

His experience?

Hoelscher has no management experience, a review of his professional credentials shows. He came to government in 2001 as a low-level White House staffer, arranging presidential travel, according to news reports. He earned $30,000 a year, salary documents show.

He discussed his job as President Bush’s travel arranger with the Des Moines Register in 2002:

Doug Hoelscher, a University of Iowa political science major and native of Williams, …is living out his dream at age 25. He works as a political coordinator for the president, dealing mostly with Bush’s domestic travel. “Ever since a young age I’ve had an interest in politics,” he said.

Despite Hoelscher’s apparent total lack of professional management or security experience, the press release announcing his appointment praises his qualifications and claims he will now be providing “strategic counsel” to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff:

“The department relies heavily on the expertise and advice of our advisory committees,” said Stewart Baker, Assistant Secretary for Policy. “Outside perspectives benefit the policy and decision making process, and the Administration has named a qualified and talented professional to cultivate these partnerships. Doug will provide strategic counsel to the Secretary and increase overall coordination between department leadership and our homeland security partners, and I look forward to his contributions and counsel.”

Inexperienced 28-Year-Old Bush Staffer Appointed to Critical Homeland Security Post
The Bush administration has appointed 28-year-old former White House staffer Doug Hoelscher as the executive director of the Homeland Security Advisory Committees.

In his new position, Hoelscher will gather expert advice “on behalf of the president and the Homeland Security secretary” from 20 other advisory boards covering “key areas of homeland security, including threats to infrastructure and preventing terrorist attacks that use weapons of mass destruction.”

His experience?

Hoelscher has no management experience, a review of his professional credentials shows. He came to government in 2001 as a low-level White House staffer, arranging presidential travel, according to news reports. He earned $30,000 a year, salary documents show.

He discussed his job as President Bush’s travel arranger with the Des Moines Register in 2002:

Doug Hoelscher, a University of Iowa political science major and native of Williams, …is living out his dream at age 25. He works as a political coordinator for the president, dealing mostly with Bush’s domestic travel. “Ever since a young age I’ve had an interest in politics,” he said.

Despite Hoelscher’s apparent total lack of professional management or security experience, the press release announcing his appointment praises his qualifications and claims he will now be providing “strategic counsel” to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff:

“The department relies heavily on the expertise and advice of our advisory committees,” said Stewart Baker, Assistant Secretary for Policy. “Outside perspectives benefit the policy and decision making process, and the Administration has named a qualified and talented professional to cultivate these partnerships. Doug will provide strategic counsel to the Secretary and increase overall coordination between department leadership and our homeland security partners, and I look forward to his contributions and counsel.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/03/09/homeland-security-a...

[leftchick]

1. and do you know why bush continues to do this bullshit

because he can. No one is holding him accountable.

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. Bingo!

I wonder if this kid's daddy is a Bush Pioneer.

...off to search

[spindrifter]

6. Right--the vast majority of appointments

are simply rubber-stamped. On the other hand, if you try to apply through the normal channels you are scrutinized in the most minute detail.

[ThoughtCriminal]

2. Why did I waste $ on college?

I should have just joined the Party and used the tuition for some well placed political donations.

Oh yeah, now I remember: I wanted to learn and I had a soul.

[tanyev]

3. Brownie II.

[Sammy Pepys]

7. He's not heading up an agency...n/t

...

[ThoughtCriminal]

23. Either was Brown

He was some sort of deputy for a short time before getting promoted. The lower post became the "qualification" for the higher appointment.

[Sammy Pepys]

28. This guy...

..is going to have to go through several promotions before he gets anywhere near Director, if my Fed Directory is an accurate indication of how high on the totem pole this position is.

[Sammy Pepys]

5. Eh.....

In his new position, Hoelscher will gather expert advice “on behalf of the president and the Homeland Security secretary” from 20 other advisory boards covering “key areas of homeland security, including threats to infrastructure and preventing terrorist attacks that use weapons of mass destruction.”

He's got a nice title, but he's not doing anything incredibly critical.

[spindrifter]

8. "...not doing anything incredibly critical"--yet.

[Sammy Pepys]

11. If you think this is bad...

..you would go apoplectic if you saw how Congress worked.

[RufusEarl]

21. I think anything to do with homeland security is critical!

I believe Bu$h can't get qualified people to take these jobs, no one want to work for this admin that have qualifications. If i'm correct, that should say something about this admin.

[Sammy Pepys]

22. You're right...

...but this is much ado about nothing.

Read the job description he has. He's basically one of many conduits for Homeland Security information. If his experience is fairly depicted in that article, he's not made some great leap in position.

And 28, in Washington D.C., can be downright ancient. I know people that control federal appropriations that are younger than this guy. Hell Rep. Adam Putman was younger than this guy when he got elected to the House of Reps. Rep. Patrick McHenry only turned 30 last year.

[ThoughtCriminal]

27. "Unqualified" is the qualification

The driving ideology is that the "Government can't do anything right". Qualified appointees might "screw up", do their jobs and actual solve problems.

[immoderate]

29. They went to "unqualified" because they couldn't find "incompetent"

which is more desirable in Bushland.

--IMM

[kestrel91316]

30. And monkeywrenching is their ONLY job assignment!

[RaleighNCDUer]

35. But how's this inexperienced kid going to know who the experts

are whose opinions he is supposed to gather?

Sounds like a 2nd tier cherry picker, to me. In five years he could be running DHS, if *'s annointed successor is emplanted in '08.

[madinmaryland]

9. Sounds like he is doing "a heckuva job"

[TechBear_Seattle]

10. Got a link?

I have a list of folks that I want to email this to, and a link would be handy.

[Divernan]

18. Ditto. I want a link to send this bit far and wide!

This is the key appointment for this twerp! Once he's held this job for a year or so, he'll be running for office or getting big bucks as a lobbyist or consultant on security/emergency responce issues. Or he'll be jump-promoted over several layers of professional civil servants and be making really big bucks. I'd like to know what salary he's getting at 28 with no relevant experience!

[RedEarth]

26. here is a link

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/03/09/homeland-security-a...

[RedEarth]

25. Here it is .... thanks

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/03/09/homeland-security-a...

[TechBear_Seattle]

32. Thanks! n/t

[Norquist Nemesis]

12. Oh, boy! What a 'Leader'

http://www.uiowa.edu/~ournews/1999/may/0504jerry.html

Wonder what he thinks of Garcia these days.

CONTACT: MARY GERAGHTY
100 Old Public Library
Iowa City IA 52242
[phone]; fax [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]

Release: May 4, 1999

(Editors note: Greenfield will be available to meet with the media May 6 at 2:30 p.m. in Kirkwood Room, 257 IMU.)

Ben & Jerry's Jerry Greenfield to give ‘finals relief’ lecture at UI May 6

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Students can escape finals stress and enjoy free ice cream at the Iowa Memorial Union Thursday, May 6, courtesy of the ice cream king Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. Greenfield will present "An Evening of Entrepreneurial Spirit, Social Responsibility, and Radical Business Philosophy," beginning at 7 p.m. in the 2nd floor ballroom of the IMU. His presentation is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the University Lecture Committee.

...

For more information about Greenfield's UI lecture, contact Doug Hoelscher, UI Lecture Committee, at 335-3255 or 341-0613.

[Norquist Nemesis]

17. Aha! Payback

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0306/030706nj1.htm

Hoelscher launched his political career after graduating from the University of Iowa in 1999. During the 2000 campaign, he worked for Wisconsin's Republican Party, campaign finance records show. In 2001, he was a political coordinator in the White House Office of Political Affairs, which was run by Ken Mehlman, who was Bush's Midwest regional political director in the 2000 campaign and is now the Republican National Committee chairman. (Mehlman didn't respond to an interview request.)


In 2004, Hoelscher worked for the RNC. The following year he became Homeland Security's White House liaison, "obtaining information from the department," said Joanna Gonzalez, a department spokeswoman. During Katrina, he helped deploy volunteers from the department to the Gulf Coast, she said. The congressional report on Katrina noted that some of those employees had trouble making it to the region because of departmental miscommunications.


Hoelscher also "made sure were all placed in the office where they were happiest and ... fit best," Gonzalez said.

[rodeodance]

13. maybe Chertoff just does not want “strategic counsel” --so these types

get appointed?



.......Despite Hoelscher’s apparent total lack of professional management or security experience, the press release announcing his appointment praises his qualifications and claims he will now be providing “strategic counsel” to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff:

[Sammy Pepys]

15. "strategic counsel" is fancy shorthand for...

"Here's a one page paper paraphrasing what some folks more knowledgable than I said." He's probably one of several people providing that kind of support.

[SmokingJacket]

14. Are they grooming these inexperienced young people to be

loyal members of the Party?

This young guy will owe Bush *everything.* Who better to hire, as far as they're concerned?

And if he screws up, well, that just means more mess for Halliburton to get the big contracts to clean up.

[democrat_patriot]

16. Newsmeat info on a Douglas Hoeschler

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=&zip=...

[Skidmore]

19. Send this to Lou Dobbs and Olberman. Then let's make a circle

and point at him and chant "Brownie, brownie, brownie....."

[AndyA]

20. And we wonder why this administration is the worst ever...

Could it possibly be because so many people are unqualified for their jobs, so their jobs just don't get done?

This could explain a lot of things. Inept is an understatement.

[kestrel91316]

33. The ENTIRE POINT is to not do their jobs.........

so Bush can continue to claim the government is incapable of doing anything BECAUSE it's a bureaucracy, and needs to be completely defunded and the money given to private contractors.

So he HAS to be sure that everybody is BAD at what they are supposed to do.

[jody]

24. No one 28 years old or younger should be in a position of authority!

Lack of experience certainly disqualifies him but not age.

[Sammy Pepys]

31. Clearly everyone is confused.....

...about what kind of role this guy has in Homeland Security.

[gilpo]

34. Rachel Maddow was talking about this this morning

Hoelscher's big initiative? Change the analogies the the DHLS is using. Another unbelievable waste of Gov't time and money brought to you by the BFEE.

[newyawker99]

36. RedEarth

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NYer99
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[NV Whino]

37. Oh good.

a travel agent.