[richlevy]

Originally posted by Tobiasly

I've heard this argument many times before, and I don't buy it -- that G.W. is a mental lightweight who just surrounds himself with smart people. Some of his advisors may know more than he does in their areas of interest, but that's why they're advisors.

The impression that I get is that he's in complete control of his administration. They put on the face that he wants them to. Of course, we can read all the "inside accounts" we want to, but none of us will never know what actually goes on behind the closed doors in the White House. But that's my impression, and I haven't seen anything that changes it.
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It's true that none of us know exactly what goes on, and have to make our own impressions. I see a one-track, confrontational White House controlled by ultra-nationalistic hawks. You see whatever you see. The reason I believe that Clinton was the better politician is that even his enemies acknowleged that he was clever. If you look at Reagan, for example, and Iran-Contra, you see a man who did not appear to be in control, who 'forgot' signing off on a covert operation to sidestep a congressional ban using funds from arms sold to 'terrorists', including testimony from a trusted aide.

The toughest situation Clinton had was an impeachment based on lying about receiving oral sex. Susan MacDougal served 22 months for contempt and never gave up Clinton.

It's obvious that Clinton, for all of his personal misconduct, ran a better office and commanded better personal loyalty than Reagan.

Now we are beginning to see resignations from the Bush White House. The key ones will be the moderate advisors, who may give up if they feel shut out of the situations that develop. I think that Powell was overidden on Iraq. He is the one person in the White House who still has a great deal of credibility in the Middle East, even though he has no experience in the State Department. He is probably hanging on to see if the "Road Map" will work.

This is the most confrontational posture the US has taken since the Cuban Missile Crisis. 9/11 gave the government a blank check in terms of security and foreign policy and they stretched it to the limit. You might consider this unwavering resolve and singlemindedness decisive leadership, but I see it as signs of loss of balance in the advice being given in the White House. What you see as a strength, I see as an unhealthy fixation.