"The White House Cabal" (Lawrence Wilkerson, LA Times)

[swag]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-wilkerson25oct25,0,7455395.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

. . .

It takes firm leadership to preside over the bureaucracy. But it also takes a willingness to listen to dissenting opinions. It requires leaders who can analyze, synthesize, ponder and decide.

The administration's performance during its first four years would have been even worse without Powell's damage control. At least once a week, it seemed, Powell trooped over to the Oval Office and cleaned all the dog poop off the carpet. He held a youthful, inexperienced president's hand. He told him everything would be all right because he, the secretary of State, would fix it. And he did — everything from a serious crisis with China when a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft was struck by a Chinese F-8 fighter jet in April 2001, to the secretary's constant reassurances to European leaders following the bitter breach in relations over the Iraq war. It wasn't enough, of course, but it helped.

Today, we have a president whose approval rating is 38% and a vice president who speaks only to Rush Limbaugh and assembled military forces. We have a secretary of Defense presiding over the death-by-a-thousand-cuts of our overstretched armed forces (no surprise to ignored dissenters such as former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki or former Army Secretary Thomas White).

It's a disaster. Given the choice, I'd choose a frustrating bureaucracy over an efficient cabal every time.

[swag]

1. Oh, it's already over in GD an on "Greatest"

Well, I'll leave it up here anyway.

[flpoljunkie]

4. Yes. Put in every DU forum so no one will miss it.

[swag]

5. Well, I do consider this forum to be an appropriate home for it,

given that it is an Op Ed.

Kisses,

s

[flpoljunkie]

6. Appropriate, indeed. But this is one op-ed that should not be missed.

"Kisses" swag? Is this your usual signature?

[swag]

7. No

I saved that one for you.

Thanks for noticing!

[Demeter]

2. Too Much Weaseling In This Article

Examine this little gem of a paragraph:


"From managing the environment to securing sufficient energy resources, from dealing with trafficking in human beings to performing peacekeeping missions abroad, governing is vastly more complicated than ever before in human history. "

Not so, unless one is complaining that one must take into account the wants, needs and feelings of the OTHER 98% of the citizenry. Strangely enough, up until the recent GOP misAdministrations, governing wasn't that difficult. Everybody had one vote, and a politician who screwed over a subgroup got his just desserts. Accommodations were made for all income groups, religions, sexes, etc., and wrongs were redressed. Now EVERYONE is screwed over, wrongs are written into law, and highway robbery is enforced at the point of a gun within the country.

Bringing back the bad old days is proving to be a challenge, and initial successes are going to be met with overwhelming packlash that will catapult this nation to a level of democracy, justice and freedom never before imagined---or to a slavery never before endured. We wait upon the casting of the die.

[papau]

3. Excellent post - and you did better than I in getting it down to 4 paragra

Now I can't edit the one on the same topic where I posted more than 4 paragraphs as time has run out.

It may not be under copyright - but unless I am sure I don't like leaving more than the DU 4!

I like your snip!

:-)