Good column, and worth the read....Thanks for sharing Bruce!
On Fri, Nov 28, 2014 at 9:48 PM, Bruce Majors <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2014/11/25/how-big-of-a-problem-is-susan-rice/ > How Big of a Problem Is Susan Rice? > > > > Chuck Hagel’s unceremonious dismissal as secretary of defense has > refocused attention, once again, on the insularity of President Obama’s > inner circle, its suspicion of outside voices, and its distaste for > dissent. But it has changed in one way: this time, the concerns about > secrecy, enforced groupthink, and high school clique behavior don’t center > on Valerie Jarrett. Instead, the name that keeps surfacing is that of > National Security Advisor Susan Rice. > > > > It’s true that this isn’t the first time we’re hearing of the toxic > atmosphere and mismanagement at Rice’s National Security Council. But it’s > striking how clearly the battle lines appear to be drawn in the steady > stream of bitter leaks aimed at Hagel, designed to kick him while he’s > down. The cruelty with which the Obama insiders are behaving right now is > unsettling, to be sure. But more relevant to the formation of > national-security policy is the question of whether Susan Rice’s > incompetence and pride are playing a role in the constant stream of Obama > foreign-policy failures. > > About two weeks ago, *Foreign Policy* magazine CEO David Rothkopf, a > former Clinton administration official, previewed his new book on American > foreign policy in the age of Obama by sitting for an interview > <http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/11/a-withering-critique-of-president-obamas-national-security-council/382477/?single_page=true> > with Jeffrey Goldberg. Rothkopf has written a book on the history of the > NSC, so Goldberg asked him about the NSC under Susan Rice. His opinion was > pretty brutal. > > Goldberg and Rothkopf discussed the mixed record of national security > advisors over the last few decades, and Rothkopf summed it up this way: “If > there are lessons to be drawn from this track record, they include the fact > that it’s harder to be the first national security advisor of a president > with little foreign-policy experience and, in the end, more broadly, the > national security advisor is really only ever as good as his or her > president enables him or her to be.” > > That sounded like he was letting Rice off the hook a bit, but he returned > to the topic to dispel any such impression. In fact, Obama and Rice seemed > to reinforce each other’s weaknesses: > > If Obama had any material management or foreign-policy experience prior to > coming in to office or if he had the character of our stronger leaders on > these issues—notably a more strategic than tactical orientation, more trust > in his team, less risk aversion, etc.—she would be better off, as would we > all. But his flaws are compounded by a system that lets him pick and > empower those around him. So, if he chooses to surround himself with a > small team of “true believers” who won’t challenge him as all leaders need > to be challenged, if he picks campaign staffers that maintain campaign > mode, if he over-empowers political advisors at the expense of those with > national-security experience, that takes his weaknesses and multiplies them > by those of the team around him. > > And whatever Susan Rice’s many strengths are, she is ill-suited for the > job she has. She is not seen as an honest broker. She has big gaps in her > international experience and understanding—Asia. She is needlessly > combative and has alienated key members of her staff, the cabinet, and > overseas leaders. She is also not strategic and is reactive like her boss. > So whereas the system does have the capability of offsetting the weaknesses > of a president, if he is surrounded by strong advisors to whom he listens > and who he empowers to do their jobs, it can also reinforce and exacerbate > those weaknesses—as it is doing now. > > And indeed, while Hagel was no superstar, Rice crops up in each account of > his ouster. Politico reports > <http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/11/hagel-dump-obama-113152_full.html#.VHSj9_TF9Lw> > that “Hagel’s main gripe, according to people close to him, was what he > viewed as a disorganized National Security Council run by Rice*—*a > criticism shared by [White House chief of staff Denis] McDonough, according > to a senior administration official.” Politico also points out that in this > respect, Hagel was no outlier; his predecessors, Bob Gates and Leon > Panetta, shared this concern. > > And according to the *New York Times* > <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/us/hagel-said-to-be-stepping-down-as-defense-chief-under-pressure.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news>: > “White House officials also expressed annoyance over a sharply critical > two-page memo that Mr. Hagel sent to Ms. Rice last month, in which he > warned that the administration’s Syria policy was in danger of unraveling > because of its failure to clarify its intentions toward President Bashar > al-Assad. Senior officials complained that Mr. Hagel had never made such a > case in internal debates, suggesting that he was trying to position himself > for history on a crucial issue as he was talking to Mr. Obama about leaving > his job.” > > It’s debatable what the worst part of that is. That the White House was > bothered enough by one critical memo for it to appear in a story on the > secretary of defense’s dismissal? That the secretary of defense and the > national security advisor are communicating this through memos? That White > House officials thought Hagel put his thoughts in writing out of > borderline-disloyalty and the hope of abandoning a sinking ship? > > I was among those singing Rice’s praises as a whipsmart advisor and a > tough-as-nails negotiator, at least in the context of her candidacy to be > secretary of state. Yet it’s become clear she feeds on conflict. It’s > possible that instinct would be more beneficial were she at State and > dealing with those shoving John Kerry around on the world stage. But Chuck > Hagel is not Sergei Lavrov, and Rice’s conflation of all adversaries, > personal and political, is tearing the White House’s national-security team > apart. > > __._,_.___ > ------------------------------ > Posted by: "beowulf" <[email protected]> > ------------------------------ > • Reply to sender • Reply to group • Start a New Topic > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/conversations/newtopic;_ylc=X3oDMTJmdGJkZjk0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNudHBjBHN0aW1lAzE0MTcxMjIwMjM-> > • > Visit Your Group > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmbDdyZ3M3BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0MTcxMjIwMjM-> > > > [image: Yahoo! 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