Monday, August 24, 2009

Team Obama's Empty Bench

The New York Times is fretting today about the leisurely pace with which the president is filling key political appointments. But why? With an all powerful, "zen-like" Oracle ensconced in the oval office, and with the skeleton crew that is on board taking credit for everything from vanquishing Somali pirates to saving the economy, who needs the additional bodies or brainpower?

The bureaucracy obviously drives itself (but that's fairly easy, since it mostly operates in "neutral"). It's grown fairly impervious to policy directives that come from the top anyway. And Democrats seem to have adopted the position that federal worker bees -- the career technocrats who live for cranking out new rules and regulations -- should rule the hive. So what purpose do all these political appointees serve?

Obama could take his first semi-sincere swipe at reducing the monster deficit by halting all further political appointments, leaving the unfilled offices dark (which would also help stop climate change), leaving federal agencies to their own devices and carrying on very much as he has been -- running everything out of his hip pocket. Super Presidents don't need a supporting cast of hundreds to save the country. Just a few trusted side-kicks will do.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I love how the anti-war left is silent as the last chance for peace on earth escalates Af-Pak war. Sorry if that is off topic.