Who’s In Charge?

E.J. Dionne writes in today’s WaPo (“In Charge, Except They're Not”) that President Bush acts like “a right-wing talk show host”. Referring to Bush’s press conference this week, Dionne said, “He sounded like someone who has no control over the government he is in charge of. His words were those of a pundit inveighing against the evils of bureaucrats.” Dionne calls Bush the critic-in-chief. He quotes Bush as saying, “Obviously there are some times when government bureaucracies haven't responded the way we wanted them to, and like citizens, you know, I don't like that at all." And if Bush can’t do something about it, who can? Dionne asks. Interesting question. What is the chain of command? We know Bush can’t even control himself and his mental problems, let alone have control over the White House. But when a question comes up about making a policy decision, who makes the decision? Cheney is the obvious answer, but Cheney just pontificates and spews propaganda. Who does Cheney say, Mother may I, to? Rove spins. Rove does not make policy. Condi Rice does her mean face and tries to act the way she thinks a powerful woman would act, which of course has no resemblance to the way powerful women act, mainly because little Miss Condi has no power. William Kristol? Nah. William Kristol acts snide and smiles while acting snide to try to seem knowing, but he’s as out of the loop as William Buckley. Rupert Murdoch? Maybe. He’s Chairman and Managing Director of News Corporation, the world's largest and most influential media corporation. Murdoch surely is at the top of the chain of command. Now that Neil Bush has been cited as being in bed with the Scientology crew, maybe Cheney goes to David Miscavige, the big mahoff of Scientology. Cheney could ask him to channel founder L. Ron Hubbard for advice. More likely, Cheney communes with Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Chairman of The Carlyle Group with regard to US policies. The Carlyle Group says of itself, “Our mission is to be the premier global private equity firm, leveraging the insight of Carlyle's team of investment professionals to generate extraordinary returns across a range of investment choices, while maintaining our good name and the good name of our investors.” Craig Unger in “House of Bush House of Saud” quotes a Carlyle Group brochure which says, “We invest in niche opportunities created in industries heavily affected by changes in governmental policies...we focus on industries we know and in which we have a competitive advantage...federally regulated or impacted industries such as aerospace/defense.” Um...The Carlyle Group invests in arms, armaments and it funds military operations. Founder David M. Rubenstein served as Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments. During the Carter Administration, Rubenstein was Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. Carlyle Group partners, advisers, counselors and/or directors have been former president George Herbert Walker Bush, former Secretary of State James Baker, former Prime Minister of Great Britain John Major and former Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci. President George W. Bush was a director at one time. In 1995, GHWBush and James Baker went to the House of Saud on behalf of the Carlyle Group to solicit investment. It’s assbackward to think Cheney goes to Murdoch or the Carlyle Group about policy decisions. What probably happens is that Murdoch or Gerstner, Jr. gets a bug up their ass that the US needs to do something to benefit global corporations or a military operation. They tell Rubenstein who tells Cheney who informs the White House (with the exception of the Prez). Karl Rove and Andy Card and the rest of the White House Iraq Group kick the idea around about what is the best way to spin it. They decide on a plan and then the president is told: Here’s what you’re going to say. Who’s in charge? Not anyone in the White House or the US Congress, you can bet the rent on that.