Blackfive says:
"However, do you really see Kerry "cracking heads" over issues between State and Defense?"
No, but I can see John McCain or Sam Nunn doing it. And remember, Bush has already had his shot and proved that he can't or won't. So why should I expect anything different from him if elected to a second term?
We are going to be in Iraq for years, and we will be waging the War on Terror for years to come. We need good decisions, and I have seen no sign that the President's Administration has learned from it's mistakes. The inter-department rivalry between Defense and State are probably worse now than they were before. The FBI and the CIA as well as the Pentagon intelligence agencies have got to be seriously demoralized after the recent congressional reports, and are in need of some serious reforms.
If Bush had some sort of plan out there that said what he intended to do about this in the next term, I'd be more convinced of his competence and intent. But he isn't even planning on nominating a new CIA chief until after the election.
Look, there are some dynamo personalities in the President's administration that would make any management situation difficult. For example, I'd never want to meet Rumsfield in a dark alley. So I don't envy Bush the job of bringing them in line. But he is the one who wants to be President. Everyone keeps telling me I should vote for him because he is a strong leader, but I just don’t see it in his everyday actions. He seems to be even more into perpetual campaign mode than Clinton was, if possible.
