Anatomy of Decisions Part The Second
In an earlier post I suggested that the Bush administration might suffer from a poor organization of the decision making process. Specifically, I was concerned that agreement, unity and domestic political strength were being emphasized over vigorous debate and an engagement with the full body of evidence.Some of my friends had suggested to me in conversation that Powell might disprove my tentative hypothesis. After all, he appears to have been willing to step up to the neo-cons and create dissent (in a very quiet and dignified way). Perhaps the Bush administration was better than I feared.
So much for that theory.
Is anyone out there reading this move in the same way I am?
posted by Michael Benson @ 6:03 PM
3 Comments:
Also resigned: Spencer Abraham, secretary of energy. Ann Veneman, secretary of agriculture. Rod Paige, secretary of Education. John What's-his-name, attorney general. (Ashman? Ashland?)
I'm of the opinion that we don't yet know enough to have an opinion. Lots of folks resign at the end of an administration. Could be a sign that people are tired of making government pay; could be a sign that they want to go home and prepare for their own political campaigns; could be a sign that the Bush administration is precisely the dissent-intolerant internal disaster we've seen described. Must wait and see.
I agree that there's nothing really unusual about the spate of resignations from the cabinet. (The CIA is a different story.) But I'm very concerned that I haven't heard a single moderate being proposed as a replacement for any of these people. I've even heard Republicans laugh at the idea of McCain taking one of the slots. (Yes, my frame of reference is now so twisted that I can say McCain and moderate in the same breath.)
Mojo
Chris,
My point was that this kills your argument. You can't use Powell as counter-evidence anymore because his relationship to the administration fits my theory.
As to not enough info to have an opinion--we have no choice but to have an opinion damnit! We live in a democracy; we pilot the ship. We can't just say, "well I don't have enough info to tell whether we are about to fly into the clif, so I'll just let go of the controlls." We have to make our best guess. My guess: this administration is deeply warped in terms of its relationship to the dynamic reality of international relations.
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