Dream Team Desperately Needs a Coach

When George W. Bush assumed the presidency we were treated to a spate of commentary that lauded the "first MBA president." George Bush, we were told, would run the ship of state as a CEO would run a company; with efficiency, delegation and a focus on results. Foreign policy, so the story went, was one key area in which Bush's leadership would help to guide the all-star "Dream Team" of foreign policy luminaries he had assembled. Bush's clear vision and strong leadership capabilities more than prepared him to make the tough calls and keep his policies from foundering.

The New York Times, on the day after Bush's inauguration, offered precient words of warning:

Given the mix of strong personalities and potentially competing policies in the new administration, Mr. Bush may have to deal with more friction than he expects...The overlapping professional and personal ties could produce an unusually harmonious team. The presidency of Mr. Bush's father, which included the the Persian Gulf war victory engineered by Mr. Cheney and General Powell, was a model of cooperation. Yet, the gravitational pull of their departments may put General Powell and Mr. Rumsfeld at odds on some issues.

Fast forward three years to an ill-conceived and poorly planned Iraqi adventure. Media reports of the past few days paint a picture of an Iraqi situation devloving ever closer to chaos. The official US response to the situation seems, at present, ineffective and unclear.

Juan Cole, keying off of statements made by Senators Biden and Lugar, speculates as to the cause of the muddle.

"There might be a power stuggle between the office of Vice President Dick Cheney and Colin Powell's State Department over Iraq policy...The reason for this gridlock is an internal power struggle within the Bush administration, which has paralyzed decision-making."

I find this "power struggle" theory very compelling for the simple reason that I've never bought into the fiction of George W. Bush as a strong leader. He is surrounded by people -- this Dream Team -- who, with the exception of Condoleezza Rice, have proven themselves very adroit in holding and exercising power. Out of his league among these bureaucratic heavyweights it is very easy for me to see Bush ceding too much control and justifying it as delegation. Whether he intentionally or unintentionally lost the control Bush is now unable to regain it and bring order to the situation.

The NYT noted on the day after the inauguration that "only Mr. Bush has the authority to end arguments and to make the decisions." Unfortunately it appears he either doesn't understand this simple truth or he lacks the requisite leadership capabilities to make and enforce the tough decisions that desperately need to be made.