Financial Times Editorial - A missed opportunity to make a break
A missed opportunity to make a break
Published: March 29 2006 03:00 | Last updated: March 29 2006 03:00. Copyright by the Financial Times
Andrew Card might be best remembered as the man who whispered into George W. Bush's ear, "a second plane hit the second tower - America is under attack", as he was reading to children on September 11 2001. On that occasion the White House chief of staff had no choice but to keep his president informed. But on too many others those working for the president have felt unable to pass on home truths.
By all accounts Mr Card was a competent administrator. So too is Josh Bolten, Mr Bush's new chief of staff who was previously director of the Office of Management and Budget. But replacing one dedicated administrator with another is unlikely to restore Mr Bush's tattered fortunes.
Mr Bush faces the prospect of almost three years of a lame duck presidency. Once considered an asset, the president is now spurned by fellow Republicans who are facing a tough battle to retain control of Congress in the November mid-term elections. He has become such a liability that it is now hard for his administration to get a fair hearing on the Hill even for its more thoughtful legislative proposals.
Mr Bush's problems extend far beyond growing public doubts about the wisdom of his administration's decision to invade Iraq or the ineptitude of post-war planning. They also extend beyond the controversy about his fiscal record, in which deficit spending has been fuelled by tax cuts at a time when the nation is told it is engaged in a long-term war to defend its values. They even go beyond the fact that Mr Bush is no longer automatically trusted by a majority to safeguard America's security - the one issue on which he had consistently outpolled his rivals.
At the root of Mr Bush's low credibility is a reputation for incompetence. It now disables almost everything he does. It was reinforced by his administration's poor handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster last year and the ill-judged nomination of Harriet Myers - Mr Bush's personal lawyer - to the Supreme Court. On Iraq, it is bolstered by almost continual revelations about the administration's track record of deafness to independent advice on the importance of rapidly restoring Iraqi utilities and on anticipating and then minimising the risks of a sectarianconflict.
The president can still retrieve his credibility and public trust if he acts decisively to reinvigorate his administration. This means appointing experienced and independent figures to important White House positions - people with the stature to tell the president when he is wrong. It would mean recruiting people on the basis of their experience and not necessarily their record of loyalty to Mr Bush.
Yesterday the president missed an opportunity to make a break with the way his White House operates. There will be other opportunities, which we would urge Mr Bush to seize.
Published: March 29 2006 03:00 | Last updated: March 29 2006 03:00. Copyright by the Financial Times
Andrew Card might be best remembered as the man who whispered into George W. Bush's ear, "a second plane hit the second tower - America is under attack", as he was reading to children on September 11 2001. On that occasion the White House chief of staff had no choice but to keep his president informed. But on too many others those working for the president have felt unable to pass on home truths.
By all accounts Mr Card was a competent administrator. So too is Josh Bolten, Mr Bush's new chief of staff who was previously director of the Office of Management and Budget. But replacing one dedicated administrator with another is unlikely to restore Mr Bush's tattered fortunes.
Mr Bush faces the prospect of almost three years of a lame duck presidency. Once considered an asset, the president is now spurned by fellow Republicans who are facing a tough battle to retain control of Congress in the November mid-term elections. He has become such a liability that it is now hard for his administration to get a fair hearing on the Hill even for its more thoughtful legislative proposals.
Mr Bush's problems extend far beyond growing public doubts about the wisdom of his administration's decision to invade Iraq or the ineptitude of post-war planning. They also extend beyond the controversy about his fiscal record, in which deficit spending has been fuelled by tax cuts at a time when the nation is told it is engaged in a long-term war to defend its values. They even go beyond the fact that Mr Bush is no longer automatically trusted by a majority to safeguard America's security - the one issue on which he had consistently outpolled his rivals.
At the root of Mr Bush's low credibility is a reputation for incompetence. It now disables almost everything he does. It was reinforced by his administration's poor handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster last year and the ill-judged nomination of Harriet Myers - Mr Bush's personal lawyer - to the Supreme Court. On Iraq, it is bolstered by almost continual revelations about the administration's track record of deafness to independent advice on the importance of rapidly restoring Iraqi utilities and on anticipating and then minimising the risks of a sectarianconflict.
The president can still retrieve his credibility and public trust if he acts decisively to reinvigorate his administration. This means appointing experienced and independent figures to important White House positions - people with the stature to tell the president when he is wrong. It would mean recruiting people on the basis of their experience and not necessarily their record of loyalty to Mr Bush.
Yesterday the president missed an opportunity to make a break with the way his White House operates. There will be other opportunities, which we would urge Mr Bush to seize.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 7:30 AM
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