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 Recent commentary from National Journal: Social Studies: How to Build A Better Cigarette—And How to Snuff It Out (January 19, 2001) Guess who wins when a few self-dealing interests repair to back rooms and do the country a favor. By Jonathan Rauch Legal Affairs: A Character Assassin Should Not Be Attorney General (January 19, 2001) John Ashcroft smeared Judge Ronnie White for his own partisan, political purposes. By Stuart Taylor Jr. Media: Seven Rules of Inaugural Coverage (January 19, 2001) When a President is inaugurated, a funny thing happens to most media people. They turn soft and gooey. They act a lot like Larry King. By William Powers Legal Affairs: Bush vs. Gore—Why the Court Was More Right Than Wrong (January 10, 2001) The harsher critics overlook three fundamental reasons for finding more to praise than to condemn in the decision. By Stuart Taylor Jr. Media: Clinton's Treat (January 10, 2001) In an interview with guess-which-daily, Bill Clinton finally lets the public know that he regards the media as his equal. Maybe now we'll get the respect that we need and deserve. By William Powers Political Pulse: After Clinton, a Wider Cultural Divide (January 10, 2001) Gore lost because he couldn't keep his distance from the President. By William Schneider More from National Journal. |
Political Pulse 
A Cabinet That Can Make Wheels TurnPresident-elect Bush is reviving the idea of a "management team" for the federal government by William Schneider ..... Cabinet government? That's supposed to happen overseas. American government has become more of a one-person show. Nevertheless, President-elect George W. Bush is reviving the idea of a "management team." It sounds like good business, but it's also good politics for a new President in his situation. Remember all the turbulence over Bill Clinton's Cabinet choices eight years ago? The slow process? The fumbling effort to find a female Attorney General? Bush was determined to present a different image. Until Linda Chavez, his designated Labor Secretary, stepped aside on Jan. 9 after an illegal alien flap (sound familiar?), he had largely succeeded. "I hope the American people realize that a good executive is one that understands how to recruit people and how to delegate ... how to build a team of people," Bush said on Jan. 2, as he announced his Cabinet selections. Bush took only a few weeks to put his Cabinet together—making the point that he is ready to govern, even after a bitter election. Critics say that the Cabinet is so full of retreads, it should be called "back to the future." In fact, Bush has cleverly used his Cabinet choices to compensate for his political weaknesses. Notably that his votes came disproportionately from white men. How's this for diversity in Bush's 15-member Cabinet (which includes the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, whom Bush said he would designate as a Cabinet officer): three women, two African-Americans, an Asian-American, and an Arab-American. Conservatives won't say so, but the Bush Cabinet makes a compelling case for affirmative action: If you take the trouble to look, you can find qualified people from diverse backgrounds. Bush needs to expand geographically his base of support. Republicans are in a deep depression in California, for instance. So he named three Cabinet officers from the Golden State—Norm Mineta for Transportation, Anthony Principi for Veterans Affairs, and Ann Veneman for Agriculture. He named two governors from states the GOP hasn't carried in a presidential race since the 1980s—Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey (EPA) and Tommy G. Thompson of Wisconsin (Health and Human Services). He also added Spencer Abraham of Michigan (Energy), a Clinton-Gore state. Then there's Mel Martinez, a Cuban-American, to head the Housing and Urban Development Department. He's from Florida, the recount state. Bush needs to make the GOP a bigger tent, politically. So his Cabinet includes two well-known moderate Republicans (Whitman and Colin Powell for Secretary of State) and two figures from the old Republican establishment—Paul O'Neill for Treasury and Donald Rumsfeld for Defense, both of whom served with Dick Cheney 25 years ago in the Ford Administration. Conservatives gave his father a hard time, so George W. has given several of them positions of prominence in his Cabinet. Such as Gale Norton at Interior, who balances the more moderate Whitman on the environment. Now that Chavez is out of the running, the biggest confirmation battle is likely to be over Bush's provocative choice of John Ashcroft for Attorney General, the point man on social issues. Ashcroft has close ties to the Religious Right. His designation cut off conservative complaints at a stroke. But can a nominee with Ashcroft's controversial views on abortion and gay rights and affirmative action get confirmed by the Senate? Ashcroft's an ex-Senator, and Senators rarely reject one of their own. The chamber did once refuse to approve John Tower for Defense Secretary, but that was on grounds of moral turpitude. Ashcroft comes from a long line of Presbyterian ministers. His personal life is squeaky clean; he doesn't smoke, drink, or dance. He does, however, sing as a member of "The Singing Senators" quartet. Which makes Ashcroft, not just a member of the Senate "club," but also a member of the Senate glee club. Bush did make room for one political crony—Don Evans at Commerce. Finally, early in the month, he named a Democrat. Not just any Democrat. One who said, "I have been honored to serve in President Clinton's Cabinet.... I am a Democrat with both a small 'd' and a large one." Norm Mineta is one of only three people to serve in the Cabinets of both Democratic and Republican Presidents. Bush has had a "sheltered" experience in the private sector. So he has got former corporate chieftains at Defense, Treasury, Commerce, and Transportation. Bush lacks Washington experience. So he's got a Cabinet full of it. Several former federal officials (Norton, O'Neill, Powell, Principi, Rumsfeld, and Veneman). And three former members of Congress (Abraham, Ashcroft, and Mineta). Bush has limited on-the-ground policy experience. So he's got three former governors (Ashcroft, Thompson, and Whitman). The manager of a fast-growing Florida county (Martinez). And the superintendent of the Houston school system (Rod Paige, Education). What does it say about Bush that he's picked such a high-powered Cabinet? A reporter asked him that question. "It says I'm not afraid to surround myself with strong and competent people," the President-elect replied. Particularly when they're strong in areas he's not.
What do you think? Discuss this article in the Politics & Society conference of Post & Riposte. More from National Journal. More on politics and society in Atlantic Unbound and The Atlantic Monthly. William Schneider is the Cable News Network's senior political analyst. He is also a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., and a contributing editor for the Los Angeles Times, National Journal, and The Atlantic Monthly. His column appears every week in National Journal, a weekly magazine covering politics and government published in Washington, D.C. For information on National Journal Group publications, see NationalJournal.com. Copyright © 2001 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved. |
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