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I suspect other more pressing issues than personnel management...consumed this administration's time.

Bush's first great push was to be filling his cabinet...that took the first 2 months of his administration. Gore's stalling in Florida over the election 2000 consumed half of the customary transition time new Presidents have before the inauguration.

Then, in March-April, Pres Bush went into full court press on tax relief so that checks would go out by July. This to head off gathering storm clouds of recession.

Remember that our P-3 was downed and naval crew imprisoned by China 4 months after Bush took office. A significant foreign policy crisis, at least in pre-911 ordinary days.

Meanwhile, through the first months of the administration, the bitter democrats, who controlled the Senate, used every "guerrilla tactic" they could to hamstring every appointment, every decision of the Bush adminstration.

The Congress essentially "shuts down" for mid-July/August ... so much for approving new high level administration picks. The Bush team soldiered on with pretty much the same mid-low bureaucracy that had served the Clinton cabinet.

Furthermore, recall all the quite decent efforts Pres Bush made to be fair and inclusive and to make one team out of democrats and republicans, to reach out to democrats, to heal the election 200 division. Remember Bush attending the democrat congressional retreat at Green Brier? Ted the Swimmer being invited to the White House with the Kennedy clan to watch movies and to take credit for co-sponsored legislation on education.

Naivete on Pres Bush's part....to think that Congress and people working in the government (even political appointees)actually perceived that they served a nation, not a political party.

Then of course...there was 9-11 and the USA changed. President Bush changed, the structure of government changed. Our foreign policy priorities changed.

Yes. The moles and 'rats appointed by a far different man and far different set of his "advisors"...have survived far too long in their little fiefdoms pursuing their personal vendettas. May their names and faces now be exposed.

"I think we need to post the list of Rogue Weasels here, in case something happens to the source. They are the ones who should be investigated – and it’s about time conservative critics of the CIA figured it out."

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Don't forget Gary Bertnsen (former CIA case officer) and Melissa Mahle (former CIA case officer)

I suspect other more pressing issues than personnel management...consumed this administration's time.

Bush's first great push was to be filling his cabinet...that took the first 2 months of his administration. Gore's stalling in Florida over the election 2000 consumed half of the customary transition time new Presidents have before the inauguration.

For crying out loud, you make my point. The Clintons were scouring things down to the TRAVEL OFFICE! They asked every US Attorney to resign their office.
The Clintons hit the ground running. The Bush administration got caught sleeping. Distractions are no excuse.

Thank you. You said it best and most detailed. Well done.

I suspect other more pressing issues than personnel management...consumed this administration's time.

Dond't forget the McCain Feingold Campaign Finance garbage and jumpin' Jeffords. W didn't have control of the Senate for most of his first two years in office.

He really did think that he could bring a new tone to Washington. The friendly relations between the parties only happened when the Repubs were happy to go along with the majority, never the other way.

W could not sweep out civil servants and Clinton made sure that many of his political appointees were changed to that status before he left office. Whenever the agenda media says that "administration officials say"...something negative, think State Department, not White House. Since the agenda media is in the propaganda business, not the news business, they never mention that clarifying fact.