Quote:
Originally posted by Spanky
This White House is the most efficiently run White House in a political sense than we have had since Johnson. The people at the top have had a lot experience and good political instincts so that the White House operations are pretty good as far as holding in leaks and keeping things on message. However, having said that, the competition is almost nil. Every administrations white house operations have been crazy and disorganized, and this one is just a little bit better. My friends from the campaign that work at the White House say it is just "insane". I think the rule is that everyone who works or has ever worked at the White House never sleeps well again.
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However, whatever efficiency they have is a very simple efficiency. They know how to whack those who step out of line and stay on simple messages. the problem is, shit ain't always that simple. This Plame mess is embarrassing them. And their idiot move to redo social security, however senseible it is, is politically moronic. Bush is doing an excellent job of biting off more than he can chew in every possible direction. You can't just stay "on message" and hope to sell SS reform. You have to think that shit out years in advance. You can't go trapsing off to Iraq without a strategy to get out later. Shit, all you need to do is read a few British history books to see what a fucking quagmire you'll run into trying to operate that country as one unit and one democracy.
You'll find no bigger fan of "keep it simple, stupid" than me. I loathe policy wonks and think we ought to hang every bureaucrat who can't justify his paycheck in five sentences. BUT you can't apply simple, direct, "CEO" decisions to everything. Bush needs to nuance himself out of Plame, and he's doing a terrible job of it so far. Fuck, the Press has even suddenly regained its ballsack. And thats his worst nightmare. If the Fourth estate wakes up and starts attacking Bush, instead of giving him the continued free ride he's enjoyed, he's in trouble. Scott McClellan can't take bullets forever.
Sooner or later, W has to do what Tony Blair does - stand there and take the beating from his critics in the media. I don't think he has the balls or the fast-wittedness to do it. His inability to fight on the fly is making him look secretive, and that ain't good in the midst of a scandal.
