Former Bush adviser: Obama’s cabinet is ‘much less ideological than George Bush’s cabinet.’
Former Bush adviser: Obama’s cabinet is ‘much less ideological than George Bush’s cabinet.’
On ABC’s This Week today, former Bush strategist Matthew Dowd marveled at President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet choices, saying that Obama will have “one of the most pragmatic, least ideological cabinets that we’ve seen in a long time.” Dowd noted that this contrasted with how his former boss picked his staff when he first entered office:
DOWD: Much less ideological than George Bush’s cabinet when he appointed it, when he first came into office. People that have disagreements. He has disagreements with his potential Secretary of State. He has disagreements with the person that’s going to run his Pentagon. It’s an amazing thing he has done that.
Watch it:
It shouldn’t be surprising that Obama is more open to appointing “people that have disagreements” than Bush was. As Bob Woodward has noted, Bush has often shown “a lack of interest in open debate.”
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20 Responses to “Former Bush adviser: Obama’s cabinet is ‘much less ideological than George Bush’s cabinet.’”
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I think Bush has had a "lack of interest in open debate" because he's afraid to hear there exists a point of view different from his. And, that point of view might be more encompassing than anything his meager brain could develop. If you fail at everything you try, as our boy genius has through his life, it must be totally freightening.
November 30th, 2008 at 10:45 amPity that Barack isn't more open to appointing people with disagreements from the LEFT! Seriously, all the folks he's appointing seem to be to the Right of him, where's the left point of view represented? We (the Left wing of the Democratic party) did, after all, bust our humps foot-soldiering to get him elected. My "Hope" now is that our positions and goals don't go entirely ignored! I have to say that it kinda gives me pause that Bushies are praising Barack for ANYTHING!
November 30th, 2008 at 10:53 am"DOWD: Much less ideological than George Bush’s cabinet when he appointed it, when he first came into office."
i guess it's true- you learn something new everyday. I didn't know idiocy and cronysm were ideologies. who woulda thunk?
November 30th, 2008 at 10:55 amSounds like the honeymoon is going well.
While the media are touting the "change" meme, they will always use Bush as the incompetance lodestone to judge Obama's progress. It's handy, to have such an incompetent so fresh in the public's memory. No stale comparisons to Hoover and Harding, who few of the public remember. If Obama has a good first term, Bush's incompetance will be historically bracketed between two successful democratic leaders - and his presidency will even more resemble a shit-heeled skidmark.
November 30th, 2008 at 10:58 amPresident Bush is a BORN AGAIN Evagelist...so it is not surprising that he is Nervous around Open Debate.
After all, The Truth is in the Bible, and everything else is the Devil's Heresy.
November 30th, 2008 at 11:07 amThe school yard bully can't tolerate dissension. It takes a brave person to encourage discussion and of course Bush has shown the world his weakness and petty way of dealing with confrontation. Our hopes are that America can return to leading by example and thought as opposed to bullying and bombing.
November 30th, 2008 at 11:07 amI believe this is a core differnece between Conservatism and Liberalism.
Conservatism must be ideological, but it simply cannot exist the minute it recognizes or accepts reality.
Liberalism has it's ideals, but only to serve as a guide to pragmatism. The more you accept the reality in which you live, the more liberal your point of view inherently becomes, and as a result - more practical.
Hopefully Obama's Administration will be the beginning of a long liberal-handed approach to government in the United States.
November 30th, 2008 at 11:29 amfound this chomsky bit this morning and thought it to be interesting.
November 30th, 2008 at 11:35 amconniptionfit Says: Pity that Barack isn’t more open to appointing people with disagreements from the LEFT!
Who do you think he should include that he hasn't?
He still does have a lot of positions left to fill. He's only announced a very select few at this point. The rest are still speculation until he announces it himself.
November 30th, 2008 at 11:38 amThere has been a lot of Reich-wing praise for Obama's picks.
The Left, the progressives have been making excuses to console themselves.
This has to tell you something
November 30th, 2008 at 11:41 amphred42 Says:
This has to tell you something
It tells me that Obama, shrewd politician that he is, has INSULATED himself from a lot of Partisan Attacks.
Such Attacks made Pres. Clinton's first term Very difficult.
November 30th, 2008 at 11:46 amBadger Says: President Bush is a BORN AGAIN Evagelist…so it is not surprising that he is Nervous around Open Debate.
My hope is that with a President who is a very liberal "Buddhist style" Christian, rather than a psycho Christonazi like Bush, than more religious people in this country will develop tolerance for others and that Christianity in general will become more about love and peace than its tradition of O.T. divide and conquer bullsh!t that Bush and his followers have used to divide this country and sow so much hatred.
Perhaps some day even the word 'godless' will cease to be an epithet...
November 30th, 2008 at 11:46 amphred42 Says: There has been a lot of Reich-wing praise for Obama’s picks. The Left, the progressives have been making excuses to console themselves. This has to tell you something
Except that he hasn't made that many picks, and I think that the right is relieved that he is picking Moderates rather than far-left-wingers, as they were all predicting he would do.
I realize that we're about to have a civil war following our Revolution - it's to be expected, but I hope that we liberals will do the very thing we criticized the Bush Regime for not doing - assuming innocent until proven guilty, rather than the other way around.
Let's give him a chance to first be sworn in, and then do something before we get upset. We often waste too much of our lives worrying about things that never happen.
Let's just give the guy a chance to lead first. If he screws it up, I promise to be right ther with you condemning him and holding him accountable. Okay?
November 30th, 2008 at 11:51 amThere's a long list of things in which Georgie has shown a lack of interest, governance being prime among them.
November 30th, 2008 at 11:58 amOnly an intellectually secure person (such as Obama or the Clintons) surrounds him/herself with capable people. bush the lessor is anything but intellectually secure and thus needed to surround himself with sycophants and incompetents. It was always one of the clearest dangers of putting a dolt like bush in the WH. Same problem with the reign of the nasty ignoramus reagan and why preventing a palin administration in the future is so important.
Ignorant egomanical megalomaniac republicans/conservatives are a total disaster to have in any position of responsibility.
November 30th, 2008 at 12:11 pmit was a good Face the Nation this morning... i thought it seemed bob schieffer was enjoying himself also...
just a thought...
November 30th, 2008 at 12:12 pmoh - why was tory ? pushing a new amity shailes book this morning?
seems to me that government made this mess, it'll take a better government to clean it up...
i thought tory ? was a "good guy"... i must be mistaken...
November 30th, 2008 at 12:15 pmunbe at #13 mentioned ‘godless’ and that reminded me of Ann Coulter. You all know that her jaw has been wired shut don't you? Karma can be a bit-ch.
And I agree with you at #14 too.
November 30th, 2008 at 3:17 pmLet's let Obama get in office and start making his moves -- THEN we will see if there is cause for concern. As of now, I think he has been nearly faultless in his post-election moves (I am crossing my fingers on Hillary), as he has preempted legitimate criticism from the right.
Obama is a smart guy - we are not used to seeing smart in the White House - we need to give him his due.
conniptionfit Says:
Seriously, all the folks he’s appointing seem to be to the Right of him, where’s the left point of view represented? We (the Left wing of the Democratic party) did, after all, bust our humps foot-soldiering to get him elected.
There is the War Party, and the War Party has no political affiliation, it just likes Perpetual War. IMO, the Left was suckered into an antiwar vote. Oh, throw in taxpayer extortion, surveillance, oil drilling, and gay marriage, and basically, there isn't much of a difference between Bush and Obama. But, we have to wait and see after January 20. The question is, will Obama supporters be as critical of him IF he continues, albeit will a Left twist, the policies of the Neocons?
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=13838
December 1st, 2008 at 8:14 amDumb Question: How could the Obama cabinet be MORE ideological than Bush's ?
December 1st, 2008 at 2:09 pm