The dynamics of the Obama administration - The fearsome machine
There are three main legs in an administration's foreign policy apparatus, State, Defense, and Intelligence. We now know that Clinton will be Sec State and Robert Gates will remain Sec Defense for the foreseeable future. (Neither the person in the DNI's chair, nor the role or influence of this new post is really clear yet.)
What I'm seeing is Clinton and Gates being balanced against each other with the fulcrum of the balance being the NSC chair ret. General James Jones. Neither Clinton or Gates would have accepted their assignments without at least veto power over that NSC spot, so he is acceptable to both.
Neither Clinton nor Gates have a past that puts them particularly close to Obama, (he didn't nominate an adviser to either role) so it'll be interesting to see how he plays them against each other. (Between the two of them, though, you're looking at a balance of the center left and center right (Scowcroft) wings of the the two foreign policy apparatuses.)
Now, to place Biden. It appears Biden will not be in the room for his direct expertise or be given a specific portfolio, but instead will play the role of consigliere. Biden's job will be to listen and advise the youngish, outsider President and to quietly carry messages to all corners of Washington and the world. (The role Cheney was supposed to play before Bush let him take over through the transition.)
This is possible because Biden will never be campaigning for 2016, so he doesn't "need" a high profile signature issue. That absence of ambition will also greatly smooth the White House's functioning.
Overall, Obama appears to be picking his administration for their effectiveness in moving the bureaucratic machinery more than any particular viewpoints or issues. He's putting legendary Washington warriors in key posts, like Rahm Emanuel or Daschle at HHS or Gaithner with all his NY fed board influence on Wall Street.
Obama is setting up an administration more about getting things done than about ideology. In theory, he will supply the ideology.
So, when you hear all those yammerers saying how do these all these "insiders" represent "change," just wait. Just watch.
He's putting in the pieces to change, to really change.
I've said it so many times. If he runs the country the way he ran his campaign, we have very little to worry about.
(The one weak link I see is Harry Reid. Pelosi has completely locked down the House, but Reid, although I like him, has had a lot more trouble wrangling the Senate.)
What I'm seeing is Clinton and Gates being balanced against each other with the fulcrum of the balance being the NSC chair ret. General James Jones. Neither Clinton or Gates would have accepted their assignments without at least veto power over that NSC spot, so he is acceptable to both.
Neither Clinton nor Gates have a past that puts them particularly close to Obama, (he didn't nominate an adviser to either role) so it'll be interesting to see how he plays them against each other. (Between the two of them, though, you're looking at a balance of the center left and center right (Scowcroft) wings of the the two foreign policy apparatuses.)
Now, to place Biden. It appears Biden will not be in the room for his direct expertise or be given a specific portfolio, but instead will play the role of consigliere. Biden's job will be to listen and advise the youngish, outsider President and to quietly carry messages to all corners of Washington and the world. (The role Cheney was supposed to play before Bush let him take over through the transition.)
This is possible because Biden will never be campaigning for 2016, so he doesn't "need" a high profile signature issue. That absence of ambition will also greatly smooth the White House's functioning.
Overall, Obama appears to be picking his administration for their effectiveness in moving the bureaucratic machinery more than any particular viewpoints or issues. He's putting legendary Washington warriors in key posts, like Rahm Emanuel or Daschle at HHS or Gaithner with all his NY fed board influence on Wall Street.
Obama is setting up an administration more about getting things done than about ideology. In theory, he will supply the ideology.
So, when you hear all those yammerers saying how do these all these "insiders" represent "change," just wait. Just watch.
He's putting in the pieces to change, to really change.
I've said it so many times. If he runs the country the way he ran his campaign, we have very little to worry about.
(The one weak link I see is Harry Reid. Pelosi has completely locked down the House, but Reid, although I like him, has had a lot more trouble wrangling the Senate.)
posted by mikevotes at
6:53 AM
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