[Santiago de la Vega]

This is the start of something big, I hope. Now if only they can see their way to create a permanent, comprehensive, and coherent system for dealing with all these problems we might get somewhere.

Currently, there is no plan for coordinating the various cabinet departments responsible for the war on terror. As we saw during the incompetent tenure of Powell, infighting will take up time and resources unless they're stopped by a superior power - meaning the President. Rather than doing their jobs, idiots like Powell spend their time trashing their colleagues. Somebody has to be in charge and put these Cabinet Officers in their place.

Rice can't do it, cause she's got her own interests to look after and problems to worry about. Rumsfeld and the other cabinet officers are in the same situation; so it has to be someone outside the cabinet, who reports directly to the President. Remember, this is the President's job, but he doesn't have the time or the resources to handle the task.

The recent promotion of Rove, and the return of Hughes, might tell us how the General Staff of the Presidency will operate. Overall policy will be set by the President and executed by Rove, with Hughes as his adviser. They will delegate responsibilities to the Cabinet Officers who are responsible for the execution of their orders.

I sure hope they get this right.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Powell was more comfortable in striped pants.

[section9]

This is interesting because it indicates that the President's high command, especially Rice, understands that the war is not against terrorism, which will exist until the end of time, but against salafism or Wahabism, which won't.

A war of ideas, not of terrain. That's the key.

Rice appears to understand this in a way Powell did not.

Be Seeing You,

Chris