Isolated Bush delegates to point of detachment, discourages dissent, relies on loyal Texas advisers

[DeepModem Mom]

Bloomberg News: Bush's Hands-Off Management Style Contributes to Political Woes
By Edwin Chen and Holly Rosenkrantz

March 19 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush's insular management system, which values loyalty and old Texas ties while discouraging dissent, may be at the root of the political misfortunes undermining his presidency.

Bush -- once hailed as an "MBA president'' skilled in the art of delegating -- has delegated to the point of detachment, some political scientists and presidential management experts say. His isolation and reliance on unquestioning loyalists have contributed to the image of a president who's out of the loop on vital decisions....Norman Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based policy research organization....recalled a weeklong cruise he took with Bush in 1990, during which they discussed management issues. Bush, he said, talked about his preference for delegating duties to subordinates and holding them accountable. Since then, Ornstein has concluded that "the lessons he learned, at the Harvard Business School and as head of an oil company, he has not followed through on.''...

***

Some former top Bush aides say the president has sent signals that he tunes out of much of the daily ebb and flow of governing.

In "The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House and the Education of Paul O'Neill,'' the former Treasury secretary described an hour-long meeting with the president on economic policy during which "the president said nothing.''...

***

Bush can be direct about his desire to be left alone. Even when biking with acquaintances, he asks them to lag behind -- so he can enjoy at least the illusion of solitude.

No aides interrupted Bush as he was riding at a suburban Maryland wildlife center on May 11, 2005, when a small plane triggered a terror alert by straying into a no-fly zone near the White House, forcing its evacuation....

***

Others describe White House meetings and events as highly scripted, with pre-determined outcomes.

During the spring 2004 scandal over U.S. mistreatment of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, Bush was kept in the dark until photographs of abused Iraqis appeared in the New Yorker magazine. The president later chastised then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for failing to give him early warning....

***

Today, after watching the course of the Iraq war and the chain of misfortunes that have befallen the 60-year-old president, many political experts say it's this style that is causing problems for Bush....

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=apaAWWIQU.VA

[renate]

1. the littlest things can say a lot about a person

"Even when biking with acquaintances, he asks them to lag behind -- so he can enjoy at least the illusion of solitude."

Um... couldn't he ride behind them to get his solitude?

[Phredicles]

3. Here's hoping he gets all the solitude he wants

in solitary confinement...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. I think that was a misprint. It was supposed to say servitude not solitude. n/t

[Plaid Adder]

2. It is not causing problems for Bush. It is causing problems for THE WORLD.

I love how these little analysis pieces are always about how he is creating problems for himself and the GOP and his image. If he were the only person ill-served by his hypersensitivity, inadequacy, incuriosity and paranoia, it would not be a tragedy. But alas, he is the POTUS, and that means the whole planet gets to suffer for him.

Ready for him to be gone,

The Plaid Adder

[renate]

4. kick because it's so refreshing to see an article like this in the MSM

It's only saying what we've known for years (Molly Ivins and many others already wrote this book...!), but still, it's good to see news stories like this.

"The greatest hazard in the job of president is being isolated, because you are operating behind a barrier of staff, aides, and Secret Service," said Leon Panetta, a former staff chief for Clinton.

"The only way to stay in touch with reality is through your chief of staff -- but also through your own desire to know what the hell is going on," Panetta said.

Ken Duberstein, President Ronald Reagan's former chief of staff, said that "you have to have people in the White House who respect not only the president but the presidency and are willing to be reality therapists."

[WinkyDink]

5. When was Bush ever 'hailed as an "MBA president'' '?

[treestar]

6. loyalty over competence

sounds more like organized crime

[bridgit]

7. The Bunker Mentality = he's losing what's left of his mind...

[maxsolomon]

9. if he wasn't such a fuckup war criminal i'd almost feel sorry for him

i think he deeply deeply regrets having become president, and is going through the motions while secretly despising the entire enterprise.

that's why he couldn't stop talking about food in south & central murka. he doesn't give a fuck about anyone or anything else. all he can see is his own pain. straight up narcissist.