Friday, September 29, 2006
Extremely interesting interview with Newt
Ryan Sager of RCP interviewed the Speaker here about the direction of the GOP, and, as always, Newt was on point with thoughtful and fearless commentary. He discusses the SoCon/Libertarian divide in the GOP, John McCain's presidential prospects, Bush's education policy, and more.
He also gave a very candid analysis of W which I'm surprised wasn't splattered all over the newspapers. Reading it, I was glad that he said it, b/c it's exactly what I've been feeling about the President for some time:
He also gave a very candid analysis of W which I'm surprised wasn't splattered all over the newspapers. Reading it, I was glad that he said it, b/c it's exactly what I've been feeling about the President for some time:
Q: How far has Bush brought the Republican Party toward being a "governing party"?
A: Not very. And it's because the most important characteristic of a governing party is that you set the agenda and you win the argument. If you can't win the argument, you can't sustain the agenda. And if you're not setting the agenda, then random chance and your opponents are setting the agenda. I have a very mixed emotion about the Bush presidency. I think the president, on almost every big decision, has been essentially right. He has really had the moral courage to rise to some huge decisions. But he has not had the drive and the understanding to force the level of change those decisions imply. So we don't today have and information campaign capable of matching up with the Danish cartoon offensive. We don't today have a clear understanding of urban warfare and policing capable of dominating Hamas or Hezbollah or the anti-Iraqi forces in Iraq. I think his big decisions are right, but I think his ability to understand how difficult and how complicated follow through is is a major limitation.
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- Newt on Terrorism, before it was chic
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2 comments:
The last sentence from Newt quote is the most telling: "I think his big decisions are right, but I think his ability to understand how difficult and how complicated follow through is is a major limitation."
This falls directly to Bush's choice of cabinet members. Much was made of the fact that W was the first president to have an MBA, and it is widely known that his preferred management style is to surround himself with people he considers competent and then delegate great levels of responsibility and authority. He doesn't get very deep into any issue, but instead relies heavily on the recommendations of his staff. (This is undoubtedly true of almost any senior executive or president, given the breadth and complexity of decisions they face, but supposedly true to a greater extent than most with W.)
As a result, the inability (or unwillingness to accept or sell the public) to recognize how difficult follow through would be in various situations is a direct reflection of Wolfowitz - Cheney - Rumsfeld. I believe if they had been more honest with themselves (or public) about challenges faced after invasion, based on predictions from Pentagon, CIA, Army, etc., more appropriate activity to suppress anti-Iraqi forces earlier could have been implemented.
I've always had mixed feelings about W. I share a lot of general ideas with the him, but something gets lost in the implementation. He shows great moral leadership and fortitude, but doesn't impress me with operational leadership. As SHK points out, he and his advisor's often have the right ideas, but lack the ability to execute them to completion. The GOP has, to a great extent, lost it's way in terms of government spending, but one of my favorite points Newt makes is about education: Modern, bureaucratic, unionized education is a form of intellectual child abuse. I really think this is the explanation for most or all of the irrational, yet increasingly popular, liberal thinking out there.