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NEWS NOTES 2006 AND EARLIER . TYRANNY: Tyranny over subjects of power - over people - comes under the excuse of protecting them from outside threats - as we now hear from the President of the United States. It is improbable that George W. Bush has enough perception of history to even recognize what he does - but he does want his own way - screw the law! This is a valid definition of dangerous men in office.Across the gamut of appointed and elected officials - more power - more control - more dominance over others may well be innate in the genetic nature of the territorial imperative - but decent and mature leaders of all types at all levels of power need to exert their feelings - to stand up for civilized control over the mean and hateful leadership which refuses to recognize constitutional government. Freedom genuinely demands constant protection - and that fight hurts the most when we must stand to defend it against Presidents. (1-30-06) COOKIN’ THE BOOKS: Politicians who can’t tell the truth are politicians – changing the facts – political “Cookin’ the Books” – not very surprising in a Presidency that is willing to sacrifice lives in Iraq for WMD’s that don’t now and never did exist – are now telling us that bad air is good air – and they themselves also have to breathe the stuff.Philip Cooney, an oil lobbyist who has been serving on the White House Council on Environmental Quality for several years for the energy industry – whoops – as an appointee of the George II – was caught by the New York Times changing government reports that support the idea that greenhouse gases and global warming are connected. This is, of course, one of the bedtime (9:30 pm bedtime) fables told to the President. As a result, Cooney bailed out of the job to spend more time with the kiddies at home this summer. (He just can’t get on to the truth concept, can he?) The ratio of lies to truth
in any administration suggests a kind of integrity quotient – although minus
results have been largely reserved for this administration in recent years.
There is really something rotten about an administration that
consistently lies about things that endanger people - particularly given the
fact that one of those lesser in command – i.e., the President - reports
himself to be in direct communication with, and under the instruction of the
Almighty himself, or herself. Presidential appointments – not to speak of Presidents – often forget the object of their service – the People – not the managers of the greasy black stuff so abundant under the sands of Iraq. Cooney clearly doesn’t get this idea at all – government folk are responsible to the Constitution, and are expected to act On Behalf of the People. Administration Policy for Terrorist Situations: See Developing Policy on Appointments. 11-27-05 Iraq Reconstruction Fraud: Philip Bloom, a US citizen vendor, bribed appointed US Reconstruction officials with 100s of thousand of dollars to secure contracts, and not execute certain contracts. The officials have been indicted along with Bloom. The AP reported the story. 11-28-05 TVA Directors: While it is Bush Administration routine that appointments are usually dollar supporters first and maybe qualified -- five new appointments are Frist folk and without utility experience. Find the Duncan Mansfield 11-26-05 copyrighted AP story in the Memphis Commercial Appeal. 11-27-05 CRONYISM has troubled government forever - and it troubles the Bush Administration, too. The fired head of FEMA and the new SC Justice nominee are obvious examples - but it is a huge problem in the appointive part of the government - across the board. What to do about it - it's usually not illegal - is a serious issue in government - across the board! (10-11-05) October 5 2005 - The selection of a new head of the Federal Reserve system is the most important economic appointment in many years - what President Bush does between now and the first of the year on the appointment of a new Federal Reserve Chairman is potentially more important, and more controversial than the selection of the Chief Justice and a new Associate Justice. Expect another middle-of-the-road appointment! 9-05-05 The President has been caught lying and misleading the public to make the Iraqi War publicly acceptable. Review the reports of the Congress released in the last few days. (9-16-06) Bush Expansion of Iraqi War: The President's position - right or wrong - doesn't seem to be gaining traction today. Even Senator Clinton and several leading Republican leaders seem to challenge or abandon his position. This will surely accelerate the departure of White House appointees who want to duck the damage coming Bush's way. Jan 11 07 CAUGHT
BY THE SYSTEM: We all know that there is a system of structural checks and balances in the Constitutional system. It worked again when the Federal Courts recently applied the law to the illegal Bush prison camps. Certainly national and international public opinion was a player in the President’s announcement to bring the illegal CIA camps into the legal structure and to the Court decisions – the Constitutional standards were applied. While it is improbable that the entire locked up terrorist group will be included in the change – such a public admission by the President is a loss to tyranny’s cause. In
considering the conduct of leaders to defy the law, it is
important to have deep contempt for their inner being – they
are gutting your world and your safety – they are dishonest at
a level of the soul that is putrefied by dishonor to every
person. It is the collective perception of a people – of a
Society – that controls the depth of political anarchy toward
the Law. If we are
tricked by lies and misdirection into approval of a war – such
as has been proven to be the case in the Iraqi War – we need
to remove our support of that war and withdraw into the honor of
Truth and suffer the sorrow of those we have caused to die –
our own and others – and struggle to repair those we have
injured – our own and others – to redeem our constitutional
honor. The occasional imperialist attitudes that arise in the Presidency are predictable in the nature of human government – and can usually only be imposed by wealthier societies. Our Constitutional system has shut down many imperialist leaders over its lifetime – usually by the People in harness with a Free Press – but it has been a close call more than once. When
those who govern defy the Law of the People – we are at risk
of personal slavery. Whether
by voting, by good citizenship, by exercise of the legal system,
or by educating about the Law, we have a deep self interest in
demanding leadership that acts first On Behalf of the People. A New Liberal Movement: While it may have the appearance of a pendulum swing - the Liberal Movement is emerging again. The reasons are complex and matters of some serious historical interest - but the practical impact is a new kind of political coalescence - and looks an awful lot like the Liberal phenomenon which had its roots in the late 19th and early 20th Century. These produced or supported the ACLU, the worker's movements, the Women's Movement, and ultimately, was the core of both the desegregation battle and the rejection of the Viet Nam War - not to speak of literally thousands of other social changes. How it wore out is not much different than what is happening to the Conservative Movement - leadership personnel die off - the focus is lost - and the movement loses its constituency among the general population. While the Liberal reemergence was fully predictable in the early 1960's when we saw it winding down - it is now happening. The importance of this particular comment on this page at this time is to remind those interested in executive appointments that there is massive change in the air - "times are 'a changin'" - and those who think they have it knocked for an appointment might be on soft sand, and those who feel lost and disenfranchised may have future in executive government before too long, and for a long time - if history follows history. (09-20-06) Appointee Misconduct: Executive Appointees often violate the law - act unethically - and in general - misbehave in office. There is nothing new about this conduct through all of history - the current Presidency has the same problem. Several such troubles have been reported in recent weeks. Appointees are obviously not elected by the people, nor are they subject to the same standards of supervision as the civil service employee confronts. Some sort of vetting occurs on some appointees - obviously more on those that must be approved by the Senate. But the usual background check has more to do with size of a recent political contribution or the nature of the appointee's real political power on behalf of the President or the Party in Power. Political appointees have increased in the current administration - it obviously is part of the political control phenomenon to have more people directly responsible to the political machine. In the long run - there are less of those appointees as time passes - but the number will always be substantial. Public supervision of those appointees may be one of the most powerful ways to keep an eye on these appointees. How that supervision is structured is another issue, but may well be critical to how the free society maintains its integrity absent other controls over appointee conduct in the federal government. (10-11-05) Absurd Moment: Michael Brown - recently fired and separated-from-government - has announced formation of an "emergency preparedness" firm in Colorado. He is clearly playing off of his Presidential appointment as head of FEMA where he brilliantly displayed his vanity and endangered thousands by his proven incompetence during Katrina. The bite is in the playoff - using his former government position to muscle a new income. (more to the right, below "Absurd") 11-27-05 Brown's project is a carbon copy of his former director's project. (below). She placed major contracts for her emergency service clients based on her recent government position. The point: The time has come to restrict former appointees from exploiting the positions immediately after leaving office - it is classic corruption! 11-27-05 Revolving Door Laws have little bite when it comes to ending influence peddling among executive appointees. FEMA director's (ex) prior boss has been peddling contracts to her clients to fix things up on the Gulf Coast - situation which illustrates the worst of revolving door politics. (10-10-05) Resumes: Bad preparation of background materials for an applicant - the resume or vita - can slow down or kill a appointment application. The Executive Offices provide forms to complete - but prior to that time - well prepared background materials make a big difference. You can bet someone will check the material you provide - so be accurate and truthful. If you are not good at such preparation - use a professional resume writer with experience in government applications. Be certain that you provide such a document to all those you are asking to support your application so they are well prepared to argue your case. (3-10-05) United Nations Pressure: The President's new nomination to be US Ambassador to the United Nations is the target of severe Senate study - at least from the Democrats. The job is a tough one - under the direct control of the White House in a way seldom applies to Ambassadors. Republicans rarely like the United Nations - witness the President's Iraqi War - but a strong appointment is always better than a weak appointment - even when that results in UN controversy. Clearly - this appointment is meant to be part of the management of North Korea's nuclear adventure. (03-09-05) Thinking Ahead: For those interested in appointments in the next administration - now is the time to start thinking about it all. As presidential hopefuls starts to emerge - transition issues also start to appear - and most important - those close to the candidate become more apparent. Any potential appointee needs to keep track of who-is-going-to-be-who in 2008. (03-09-05) Hot appointment news of the day: The White House is discretely vetting candidates for the Chief Justice appointment which is sure to be in the works one day soon. Getting caught with a stupid background mistake the Democrats are sure to find is not on the agenda for the President. There has been a short list for Justices and Supreme Court Chief since well before 2000 - and endless amazement - (not to speak of huge disappointments in some quarters) - that the President hasn't had a shot at a Supreme Court Appointment in 4+ years - but he will soon. (2-6-05) Slopping at the Public Trough: One analysis of the changes in the Presidents closets cabinet and staff says that he found their affection for the perks of power to be offensive - and that preserving those came ahead of aggressive support of his policies. That would be a valuable policy - and a breath of fresh air in the presence of so main aides and so expensive limos. (1-17-05) Backing up the Raft: On the west front of the Capitol January 20th - the President clearly tried to threaten a variety of countries he doesn't like around the world - and they took it as a threat. Starting a bar-fight in a Texas honky-tonk in one thing - threatening virtually everybody in the world that doesn't talk Texan has caused the State Department to announce that he was misunderstood - effectively negating the Texas cowboy's mouthy overstatements. That is one bitch of a thing to do to a Pres that says only what God says to him in private talks! (1-24-05) Rice Adventure - 1-1-05: Reputation Trouble: Secretary prospect Rice will spend the bulk of her term in Foggy Bottom recovering from prior pitches, mistakes, misunderstandings on Iraq - the mistakes or misleading was just too great. The Senate hearings merely defined what the bulk of the world diplomacy believes - the White House is incompetent - or all Texas baloney or lies. Appointments: 1-17-05: The Senate is preparing as many confirmations of Bush appointees as possible before the Inauguration - following a tradition - as far as possible - of presenting the President with a slate of new officers to start a new term. (1-17-05) . . Trouble in Homeland Security - The White House is having trouble getting a Secretary to Head Homeland Security - our Washington sources say it will have to be another insider appointment. GW likes keeping his appointments in the family. The best judgment is that it will be a familiar name - with a southern accent - and a military background. Leaving the job open at the start of 2005 with the continuing terrorist pressures is making the impact more serious. Obviously the White House is trying to get the vetting right on this one - no more recommendations from friendly politicians! (12-29-04) December 19 2004 - Bad Vet: Kerik was let through the vetting process as a matter of carelessness. It is extremely costly to the President's itch to fill the homeland security job quickly - and may be very damaging to Kerik himself in the long run. Those sorts of mistakes occur in every administration. Please refer to our Clean up Your Act page. December 17 2004 - Taking the heat for the boss: In spite of incredibly bad judgment in his recent Iraq statements - Defense head Rumsfeld is taking the blame for the President's decision to go into Iraq. There are few clearer examples of appointees being made responsible for the bosses' decisions than this. December 6 2004 - Lots of jobs open: While it is not particularly unusual, there are many, many appointments open and opening throughout the government. January 17 2004 - Lobbyists at work: Lobbyists are gearing up to participate in the Senate Confirmation hearings which are due almost immediately. Their influence runs from suggesting questions or criticisms of potential appointees to Senators - to chatting with the powers-that-be in the White House. This routine follows in the worst tradition of smoked-filled-room politics. This is where big time campaign contributions pay off - they are pre-payments on ear-time with the Pres and his underlings. In Bush decisions - you get what you pay for! (1-1-05) December 29 2004 - Trough Time: Presidential Appointees at all levels are leaving government - per usual - as they do at the end of Presidential terms. But more and more - those appointments are leading to high paying jobs in the private sector where the citizen-public servant becomes the political pro. While the implications are serious, and largely negative for the public - the amount of payoff to potential employers while appointees are still in office is worth a serious look. Greasing the palm of a future - post government - employer is not difficult to imagine. An FDA appointee going to work for a pharmaceutical - for example - is almost a certainty - and a solid example of what is happening across the board in the federal executive appointment process. It has happened with retiring members of Congress and the Senate for years - it is time for post government employment conflict of interest laws with some serious bite to stop it in the Executive Branch! December 28 2004 - Judicial Appointments: It's payday for the Conservatives on Judicial Appointments - the GW is doing reruns on old candidates - announcing that he is nominating 20 Judge candidates that have been previously opposed by Democrats in the Senate. There is plenty of evidence that the Pres really doesn't care if they get whipped in the confirmation process - just paying off on a promise to the neo-conservative block for its support in the 2004 election. The President has never been one to stand on integrity when it comes to political payoffs. It would be no surprise if it is all blood and guts in the confirmation hearings. See Continuing Policy Stories December 27 2004 - Trouble in Drug Regulation: The post-Christmas mood in Washington is to examine why medical assets such as the drugs which have proven dangerous in recent weeks got onto the market at all. The influence of drug companies at keeping drug regulation appointments open - or filled with their buddies is the issue. The administration has a public fight coming on why it allowed dangerous drugs on the market. December 26 2004 - The federal government is developing a new investigation emphasis on public officials who are corrupt - in light of two governors leaving office in recent months, there is a developing concern in government circles about the current level of corruption. December 24 2004 - Hot appointment news of the day: The Homeland Security agencies are going to continue without a leader for awhile as the White House searches for a new Secretary to head it - a task severely complicated by the flubbed try with Kerik of New York. Clearly the White House likes insider appointees who have kissed the ring of the conservative loyalty -- that requirement doesn't lead to much creativity in government or many distinguished choices. December 20 2004: New Executive Appointments Imminent: The President is moving quickly to replace those major appointees who have moved on. Less obvious is the next layer of people moving on - those positions fill less quickly-but there are more opportunities there. Now is the time to consider what position you might wish to have - or to recommend positions to others. (Searching for Appointments) October 24, 2004 - Market on Hold: Every indicator in early markets around the world suggest a flat and quiet market until the elections are past next week. High oil prices help the inactivity. If there is a change of administration, the market needs to get a sense of where the transition takes the new President. Guesses on who will be primary economy movers in the next four years will government much of the market movement for the next few weeks. October 17, 2004: "It's the Economy, Stupid" is getting past Kerry - he isn't using it in the campaign effectively, as Bill Clinton did. All of the statistics on the Bush impact on jobs and the economy favor the Democrats, yet they are not having an impact. It may well be that a hugely wealthy guy like Kerry is hard put to sell the economy issue. Interest rates are going up - jobs are not doing very well - and inflation is holding its own. The question is whether Kerry doesn't understand it - or he can't sell it. November 26 2004: CIA Appointments: Most of those leaving the CIA is the current fluff are staff with enough civil service time in to retire at some level. Except for a small handful of top names which appear in the press - the positions are filled from under-staff or without notice. November 21 2004 - Appointments moving quickly: In a generally normal way - appointments are being confirmed and new ones made. The transition changes often occur in this manner. November 19 2004 - White House appointments page: If you are interested in a White House appointment or the process, select the White House page in the left column of this page. If nothing more, read through it - it tells you something about the appointment process. If you are applying for a position, you should probably fill in the forms provided. A comment though - you should pursue other contacts you may have with the White House or others involved in the appointments routine for the job you are considering. November 14 2004 - Search services for appointments: Our staff will answer (endless) questions about the appointment process by phone (406 593 2870) and by e-mail at Director@Presidential- Appointments.org. We encourage potential appointees to search for the jobs they find interesting on their own - along the lines we have suggested at various places in this site. We will do searches through our staff - see Intensive Searches. November 8 2004 - Court Appointments: SC appointments will continue to develop as an important part of the next several months. This is a visible and interesting part of the Constitutional process. Without question, it will be controversial, as it has often been. We will open a new section of this page today which will track the appointment process as it develops.
October 31 2004 - Interim Appointment to Supreme Court: The next President will quite clearly appoint at least a Chief Justice. Should Bush lose on Tuesday - and the CJ retire before January 20th, the Inauguration Day, the retiring President could make an "interim appointment" - without the affirmation of the Senate which would last for a year. October 25 2004 - Federal Judge Appointments: Federal Judge Appointments have long been an issue in the conservative movement - and there is a lot of talk about it in the present campaign - but nothing in the polls suggests it is a compelling issue outside the most locked in Bush conservatives - in short - it doesn't appear to be making changes in votes. October 17, 2004 - Promoting groups for appointments: Now is a time when special groups can gain a larger influence in government by concerted efforts to get candidates together to apply. A variety of communication phenomena, such as the internet and cheap long distance phone calls has much to do with the in-depth communication groups can have. Women's groups are paying close attention to such appointments a this time in history. October 12 2004 - Appointments Game Warming up for both sides: People who wish to be appointed to Presidential positions in the next couple of years are getting into position. Republicans know that a significant number of present Bush appointments will quit and move on, leaving many open positions. Democrats know essentially all Presidential positions will be up for grabs in the coming months in Senator Kerry wins. September 26 2004 - Transition: As the campaign seems closer, the basic transition system is gearing up with the possibility of a change of administrations. The Transition Issues as outlined in the 9-11 report shows how critical this preparation can be. Obviously - a huge amount of the transition always includes new Presidential Appointments - personnel being the guts of the way the change is made effective. September 26 2004 - Judicial Appointments: As the Presidential Elections approach, the way each candidate will make judicial appointments has the impact of energizing voters. The conservative movement - for 50 years - has made judicial appointments a focal point - a roundup issue - of its entire political approach. Because of the long tenure of most judges - the issue is important and does impact votes. In recent days, the press is reporting really serious force behind the issue on both sides of the election. August 21, 2004 - Lobbyist Appointments: The Bush White House has specialized in appointments of corporate lobbyists to head agencies that supervise the corporations they represent. One result has been a litany of policy changes against environmental protection. Historically - the GOP has felt the government was a tool for their constituent's profit. While this is entirely legal - it is one of the policies that tends to make political appointments into civil service jobs. July 13 2004 - Appointments in January: Enough people with real money - the sort that buys favors and accessibility to the President - are filling the bank accounts of the Democrats as well as the GOP. That is different for the out-of-office party. Watching the payoff for either party - the one that wins - will be interesting in January 2005. June 15 2004 - Fudging figures: The State Department announcements about terrorism - those announcing great success by the current administration in stopping terrorism - have proven to be in serious error - and in favor of the Bush Administration. The Conservative movement appointees have not done well with the "truth" idea in this administration. Of course, neither did President Clinton do well with the truth the first time around. June 7 2004 - Presidential Change: With the change in national politics which makes John Kerry a possible next President - transition activities in the government are picking up, and prospective new appointees are kicking into both campaigns. The political nose of office seekers isn't really very good at guessing who will win but they are going to get into position if case of a Democratic Party win in November. This certainly helps fund raising for both parties. June 6 2004 - Presidential Transition: A new site is available about government positions which improves access to appointments and transition information. Presidential Transition Directory. . . .
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