On the Job Training

It shouldn't come as a surprise to any but the most star-struck. I know I certainly pointed it out repeatedly. The new Chief Executive of the entire United States of America is someone who never previously was executive or leader of anything--not a business, not an office, not a flight of four, not even a boy scout troop.

Somehow turning the federal government over to someone who has promised to hand out riches as though he owned the money tree seemed a good idea to a majority of the nation. It didn't matter that the Messiah's resume showed no qualifications relative to the complexity of the leadership requirement.

That's why this is so illustrative:

Example of Excellent Judgment

Even a basic corporal who has been responsible for organizing a squad has learned what Obama hadn't up until this point. Whether this learning will continue with fewer missteps is doubtful to me. There's no reason to be optimistic.

The Judd Gregg appointment was a political act of the basest sort. Gregg was merely to be a poster-boy for the otherwise lacking bipartisanship which the Messiah keeps promising. Throw a Republican senator into the cabinet to show you are manning your organization based on what is good for the nation, not lock-step ideological litmus tests.

But part of creating a leadership team, as every experienced leader knows, is having a loyalty and mutual respect for each other. You choose someone to work with you because you value their talents. You pick carefully and then you support them until they give you reason to do otherwise. Your men trust you and work hard for you in return for your honesty and support in their tasks.

Now, if you pick someone for a job and the choice is very clearly a political statement you need to be cautious that you give that individual the same respect for their skills as anyone else would receive.

Obama had no idea about that kind of team-building. He picked Judd Gregg and then before even his confirmation hearing was started, he diminished the authority and responsiblity of his agency in a blatant power grab. He clearly demonstrated to Sen. Gregg that he was nothing but window dressing and anything important would be snatched from his hands before he could start work.

Sen. Gregg has at least recognized the situation and done the right thing. I don't see how any other choice would have been possible for him.