I contend that the man was over his on day one. What surprises me is that not one person or say a group of people haven’t been able to see through this guy in meetings? He’s clearly lazy. I don’t see him as the kind of guy who wants to learn all there is to know about a certain issue, because his decisions are all the same, and all political.
But still, how can leaders from our side not see this? How can the joint chiefs in these briefings not see it? What question’s does he ask at these meetings.
I picture the president lining up his advisors and asking their opinions, then you make a decision. George Bush said that the most surprising thing about the presidency was that almost all problems have a simple obvious answer. Why is it then, that this guy always makes dumb decisions? Leaving Iraq was the worst decision ever made...by a president in my life time.
Again: it’s because his goals are different from ours. His axioms are different.
He’s “lazy” and “doesn’t want to learn” precisely because he knows what he wants to do, and does it. As you said re: Bush, “almost all problems have a simple obvious answer” - ergo he need not consult anyone; his decisions seem “dumb” because we, the USA, are his opposition. He’s doing what makes sense in his priority...which is “expand the Caliphate”. Leaving Iraq was, in his goals, a resounding success - it dropped Iraq into the hands of radical extremists who are aggressively implementing the Caliphate, a resounding success to him and his ilk.
There is an odd dynamic in normal bureaucratic relationships: when someone is operating profoundly outside the norm, everyone else grows even more intent on preserving that norm. As a result, the Joint Chiefs et al are committed to doing their part, psychologically incapable of dropping their papers, shouting “WTF is wrong with you?”, and physically throwing him out the door (or at least ignoring him as they start proceedings to replace him). Pursuit of normality is oddly compelling. They have no concept how to deal with him AND everyone else who is still committed to preserving at least the illusion of normalicy.