Forget the Cabinet...They Are Window Dressing

Jeff Greenfield said something interesting for once on CNN’s News Night last night. He said that the people who head up the President’s cabinet are of little importance. They will be trotted out for special ceremonies and make a pronouncement once in awhile. But in the Bush administration they will never stray from the official party line which comes from the White House. In essence, don’t trouble yourselves about who goes and who is appointed, it’s immaterial. Understanding this makes it easier on those of us who have paid attention to the President’s cabinet in the past. At one time the secretaries in the cabinet were allowed to have different opinions from the President and they voiced them. At one time the cabinet was a source of advice for the President, one of the necessary checks and balances in a democratic society. No more. So forget the cabinet. They will say whatever the White House tells them to say. Which is something else to remember. The President and the White House are two different things. The President is the lifelike virtual humanoid who narrowly won the recent election. The men who make government policy and speak into the humanoid’s earpiece are called The White House. Do not be taken in when reading nonsense like “the President has decided to take personal control of his administration”. The president decides NOTHING. The President’s decision mode has been made inoperable. Where Condi Rice is concerned, knowing that she will have no opinions of her own as Secretary of State is a blessing. The old “Condi on-TV off” rule that served us so well while she was National Security advisor still applies. For the next four years you can forget that Condoleeza Rice exists. Because in fact, she doesn’t. Rule Number One in the new Fascist administration: Only the wizards in The White House who operate The Great Bushmaton exist. Everyone else is window dressing.