IS OUR PRESIDENT LEARNING?
It doesn't look like it. After Katrina hit and the media succeeded for a while in blaming FEMA for everything that went wrong, we all learned that FEMA was run by Michael Brown, who had no experience in disaster management prior to joining FEMA. Thus it didn't matter much that he had handled smaller disasters in that role before Katrina without a hitch, and it didn't matter at all that all of Louisiana's problems originated in Louisiana, in the persons of Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco and their lackeys. Brown looked bad, his resume was unimpressive, and out he went. The perception stuck that Brown had only been put into the job in the first place because he was a political hack who supported Bush.
So what is the Bush administration doing now? Well, if you read Michelle Malkin--and you should if you don't--we're getting yet another political hack in yet another vital area:
The new crony waiting in the wings is attorney Julie Myers, the White House pick to head the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). At the risk of stating the painfully obvious, the agency Myers would spearhead deals with "enforcement" of "immigration" and "customs" laws and policies. Myers has practical and managerial experience in none of the above.Zip. Nada. Nil.
And that's not the end of it. Bruce Bartlett says the same thing is about to happen at Treasury:
The Washington Post reported on Sept. 9 that Treasury Secretary John Snow is once again being shown the door. His rumored replacement is White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, who would then be replaced either by deputy chief of staff Karl Rove or Office of Management and Budget Director Josh Bolten. This sounds like a bad plan to me.---
Many experts are now deeply concerned about the stresses and strains in the financial sector of the economy and fearful that a crisis could emerge at any moment. The huge budget and current account deficits, rising energy and gold prices, a bubble in the housing market, out-of-control hedge funds and a corporate pension system in the process of collapse are just some of the things that could trigger a financial crisis. Should that happen, I fear that Andy Card would be as out of his depth as Michael Brown was in New Orleans.
I'm on the record as not having much of an issue with Brown's handling of New Orleans, given the fact that Mississippi and Alabama serve as data points demonstrating that the failures in Louisiana were local. Still, when the crisis hit Brown didn't inspire confidence, and his background didn't shore him up and he became a political liability that the administration couldn't afford. The administration should learn from this a very basic lesson: Put qualified people in the roles they're qualified to fulfill. Surely it's not impossible to find solid Republicans who are solidly qualified to head up ICE and Treasury. We're supposed to be the party of law and order and sound economics, right? Then what's the problem?
This administration made a brilliant pick in putting Dr. Michael Griffin atop NASA. It made a brilliant choice in Condi Rice at State. It has made some inspired choices for judges and most of the cabinet as well. But with the great we're getting the awful, it seems. Norm Mineta, anyone?
I have to wonder if the administration isn't simply so adrift right now that it doesn't know which way is up and has forgotten how to conduct job interviews. If the answer to the first question--"Why are you qualified for this job?"--is "Because I know X and we both support the President," that's not good enough. Not even close.