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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
to criticize Obama for his 'establishment-soothing appointments' because this is what he did -
But it's also not premature to heap praise on him - not about the appointments at all - but for
his excellent 'Preshow': the great and promising press conferences and these funny parades of ex Washington sleazeballs who promise to be good boys and girls in the future.
It gives us a lot of hope - and if the economy wouldn't be as grim the accompanying harping from the so called left and right would be quite amusing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zfzVXDEjIA
Link at sig
Because they were pardoned for crimes deemed policy disputes?
But I'm not hopeful. What I want is a culture change in DC (I won't presume to speak for the rest of the country). Culture change in any large organization is difficult, time consuming, and problematic due to the innate inertia of a large organization. If you go to MBA school, you'll encounter a number of authors who discuss techniques for corporate culture change and the problems associated therewith. Attempts at corporate culture change frequently fail.
Typically that failure is a result of a failure of top management to follow through with a change agenda that has to include the alteration and/or elimination of numerous rules, policies, and practices that embed the existing culture in the organization. It also has to include the removal via transfer, firing, or demotion of those middle and lower level managers who have to actually implement the change being dictated at the top and who don't. If you're at the bottom of the corporate food chain, it's actually quite easy to ignore sweeping direction from the top. In fairness to top management, it is difficult to discern exactly how various policies, procedures, and rules embed the existing culture and it is difficult or impossible to remove and/or sideline experienced, capable people who actually make the organization work. After all, a group's function is to produce something, not implement change. Change has to be done in tandem with the group's primary function.
Which brings us to the Federal Government. The USG's policies, procedures, and rules are far more numerous, detailed and binding than those of a corporation, thus making them far more difficult to alter. Civil service rules make it far more difficult to remove managers to are not performing their primary tasks well than in the corporate world. and doing it because they are not implementing changes from the top is harder. Populating top management with a bunch of tired political hacks who got where they are by virtue of their ability to understand and manipulate "The System" is not a good start. Unfortunately, the depredations of the last 8 years are so serious that this new administration will find its hands full trying to deal with the disasters, time bombs, and trojan horses left by the previous regime.
Change is going to have a hard time even making it into the back seat.
I hope I'm wrong.
It's not premature at all to criticize Obama for his 'establishment-soothing appointments' because this is what he did -
I agree it's absolutely appropriate to evaluate and be critical of his appointments. And one would expect that this is going to be SOP not just for Obama, but for all presidents from now on. Not because of anything the POTUS has done, but rather because of the evolution of the netroots. Things are going to be looked at much more closely, and by many many more people, than has been "usual". And this is all to the good imo.
But I don't think he's making these appointments in order to soothe anyone in particular. It's simply that he's a centrist and all his picks are from, and in, that hugely diverse and varied Center. Why, the sheer scope of the diversity, the multi-faceted nature of it, it's beyond description.
Yeah, I guess you're right. If you don't care about one guy named George Bush pardoning a Secretary of Defense and former National Security Adviser to protect himself from allegations of criminal wrongdoing involving the complicity of the Office of the Vice President in brutal CIA behavior and thousands of deaths, why care about another guy named George Bush pardoning a Secretary...
Why is the pardon of Marc Rich an enduring and deep scandal worthy of 8 years of deliberation, and the pardon of Casper Weinberger, Elliot Abrams, Bud McFarlane, Duey Clarridge, Alan Fiers, and Clair George is not?
Because they were pardoned for crimes deemed policy disputes? -- umbrage
The Marc Rich pardon had negative traction... with Clinton's "base". It was rendered "enduring" by shills who saw it as useful in that regard. (Note: Rich is no sweetheart, and tax evasion was just one of the most "addressable" things he was suspected of doing in his day.)
But, you have a point that has bothered me for sometime now. I'm quite tired of watching Republican operatives getting off scot free because they've been able to spin their criminal misconduct as "policy-related" and disputable.
The men you mentioned above did real, lasting damage to American interests abroad. There is no good reason why they should still be players, irrespective of their sense of entitlement and "divine right" to power.
The leadership of our federal government doesn't actually possess a "divine right" to fuck up, again and again, on our dime.
This marc rich thing gives the mealy-mouthed msm something to bleat about. Sounds like they're already on it.
Don't know about all of Obama's appointments but I think they are a fairly inoffensive lot - to senate repubs. Sure, senate repubs will be obstructionist but not when confirming Hillary or gates. They can save their fangs for Holder.
Makes the repubs look relevant when they growl at the feelthy lawyer-type who had 'something to do' with pardoning a rich FOB.
Bet those senate repubs can't wait to get in front of the TV cameras during the Holder confirm hearings and show their relevance.
Bet the TV cameras can't wait for the Holder confirmation hearings, either.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Salon headlines in your mailbox
