| Presidents of the United States can only make | | | | office that George Washington held, and Thomas |
| decisions based on the information they are getting | | | | Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, both Roosevelt's, Teddy, |
| from the people and other sources that are available | | | | and Franklin. Those thoughts and heritages never |
| to them. Different Presidents obtain that data flow in | | | | leave your mind when you are in the room with that |
| different ways. This is particularly important because | | | | man regardless of who he is. |
| the events we are dealing with are so much more | | | | Now let's take a look at President Bush. Contrary to |
| crucial than other Presidents may be dealing with. | | | | some people's thoughts this is not a dumb man. He |
| Iraq, North Korea, high gasoline prices, competitive | | | | has degrees from both Yale, and Harvard Business. A |
| position versus China, long-term deficits are all huge | | | | lot was handed to him in life, but he also knew how |
| problems that must be solved one way or another. | | | | to play a pretty good hand. He has to his detriment |
| President Kennedy had an open door policy. He | | | | in my opinion surrounded himself with arrogant, |
| functioned as his own chief of staff, a center of the | | | | ideological, one-dimensional minds with limited capacity |
| spokes strategy if you will. It was highly successful. | | | | for growth. |
| Unlike this President, Kennedy asked incisive | | | | Dick Cheney is brilliant. He is also arrogant, secretive, |
| questions, and followed up with more incisive | | | | and ideological. Cheney has hurt this President by not |
| questions. JFK developed his decision making skills | | | | growing his own thinking over the last six years. The |
| very quickly. He was not like this on day one, but he | | | | way he thought in the early 1990's, is the same way |
| certainly was at the top of his game by year two of | | | | he is thinking today. The VP's secretiveness as |
| his Administration. In year one, Kennedy learned not | | | | opposed to openness has cost the President dearly |
| to trust the CIA, or the military. Both organizations | | | | in our need to safeguard the people's constitutional |
| had failed him at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. | | | | rights regarding privacy. |
| When JFK came into office, he was presented with a | | | | Donald Rumsfeld is the worst Secretary of Defense |
| CIA plan created during the Eisenhower | | | | since Robert McNamara. Both McNamara and |
| Administration to land 1500 expatriate Cubans in Cuba | | | | Rumsfeld seem to be almost identical in their |
| to unseat Fidel Castro. The CIA pushed the plan hard, | | | | arrogance. He is sad to watch Rumsfeld repeat the |
| and the military sat it out when it came time to | | | | same pattern of arrogance that caused McNamara to |
| speak. The disastrous invasion which took place in | | | | lead this country down the path of suicide during the |
| April 1961, four months after the inauguration was a | | | | Viet Nam debacle. Rumsfeld inability to entertain new |
| wakeup call for JFK. To his dying days, JFK said, "I | | | | ideas is costing us dearly in Iraq. His bullying of the |
| asked the wrong questions." | | | | generals who are charged with the responsibility to |
| He said that if he had it to do over, he would have | | | | wage the war is inexcusable, and history will not |
| told the Joint Chiefs, "I want to make this an | | | | treat this man kindly. |
| American operation, forget the 1500 Cubans, let's do | | | | Now what do you think happens when the President |
| it with our military. How many Marines do we have to | | | | has men like Cheney and Rumsfeld around him? The |
| send in to do this right?" The answer the Joint Chiefs | | | | problem is that everybody else is speaking in that |
| would have given was 250,000 marines. JFK had he | | | | low voice, afraid to utter what they perceive is the |
| known this would have immediately cancelled the | | | | truth to the President. This would all be okay except |
| invasion. He would have said to himself how can 1500 | | | | the President hasn't figured out the game yet. He |
| poorly trained Cubans do the job that we would | | | | doesn't understand how to get the information he |
| need 250,000 Marines to do? The president picked up | | | | needs to make good, solid decisions that WORK. |
| ten years of experience in those first few months. | | | | In his press conference today, the President said that |
| The next major tool we can learn from JFK is the | | | | "I feel confident when General Casey (4 star |
| use of an executive committee (ExComm) in times | | | | general-Vice Chief of Staff-US Army, and |
| of national crisis. When the Cuban Missile Crisis took | | | | Commander of Multi-National Force-Iraq) tells me |
| place, JFK did not round up the usual suspects to deal | | | | what's on his mind." General Casey could never tell |
| with the crisis. He brought together the best minds | | | | the President what's on his mind, and that's the |
| he knew, put them in a room and let them deal with | | | | problem with this whole Administration. The President |
| the crisis alone. He would periodically enter the room, | | | | is not getting the information he needs to deal with |
| find out what was going on, and leave again. He | | | | the problem whatever it might be. |
| knew that people react differently when the | | | | In being spoon fed the equivalent of ideological |
| President is in the room. His presence completely | | | | dogma, the President is finding himself in a position |
| jaded the conversation and advice that would come | | | | that JFK would say is unacceptable. Even Richard |
| out of such a meeting. | | | | Nixon a very strong conservative thinker had Daniel |
| This brings us to President Bush. I do not know if | | | | Patrick Moynihan a very liberal Harvard Professor |
| you have ever been in the Oval Office or at a | | | | right next to him giving the President the other side |
| meeting with a sitting President of the United States. | | | | of the story. If Mr. Bush is to succeed in the |
| Let me tell you what it's like. Everybody speaks with | | | | remaining two years of this Presidency, he has to |
| a soft voice in his presence. It's like they are | | | | start hearing the other side of the story. I do not |
| whispering. Grown men who command corporations | | | | have much hope that this is going to happen, and our |
| with hundreds of thousands of employees turn to | | | | biggest problem which is the quagmire in Iraq will |
| mush in his presence. It doesn't matter who the | | | | continue until new leadership is elected with the |
| President is, the reaction is always the same. It's | | | | mandate to change. Of course the ideologues will |
| cultural; we are brought up to respect the office and | | | | say, we should have stayed the course. History will |
| the sacredness of the office. After all, this is the | | | | show them wrong. |