February 21, 2006

THE PERMANENT BUREAUCRACY VS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE:

Administration Critics Chafe at State Dept. Shuffle: Merger Has Brought Appointees Into Conflict With Longtime Workers, Who Say They Are Sidelined (Glenn Kessler, February 21, 2006, Washington Post )

A State Department reorganization of analysts involved in preventing the spread of deadly weapons has spawned internal turmoil, with more than half a dozen career employees alleging in interviews that political appointees sought to punish long-term employees whose views they considered suspect.

Senior State Department officials deny that and say an investigation has found that the proper personnel practices were followed. But three officials involved in the reorganization, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, acknowledge that a merger of two bureaus reduced the influence of employees who were viewed by some political appointees as disloyal to the administration's policies.

"There are a number of disgruntled employees who feel they have been shoved aside for political purposes. That's true," said one of these officials.


Executive departments work for the elected executive, not for the departments' own interests. They forget that rather often, which is why undoing civil service reforms is such an important part of George Bush's legacy. But more needs to be done.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 21, 2006 8:39 AM
Comments

Bush does have the added problem in that while Reagan only had to deal with the partisan Democrats who were Carter holdovers at state, Bush has both the Clinton holdovers and the realists who were supporters of his father and James K. Baker 15 years ago to do battle against, since many of those people pre-9/11 regained positions of influence.

Posted by: John at February 21, 2006 9:32 AM

imagine! holding a political position where you can be 'shoved aside for political purposes'!

whoda thunk it?

Posted by: JonofAtlanta at February 21, 2006 10:14 AM

But three officials involved in the reorganization, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly...

And therein lies the problem with State. Three people who disagree with the reorganization, the reorganization that was pretty much aimed at getting their calcified asses out of those cushy chairs where they spent their days obstructing the President's foreign policy initiatives, are talking to the press even though they aren't authorized to do so. What penalty will they pay for this? Most likely none at all, and that's the real problem we face. A self perpetuating bureaucracy benefits only itself, there has to be a better way to do things...now if I just knew what that was.

Posted by: Robert Modean at February 21, 2006 10:52 AM

Underway is a much-needed removal of employees at the State Department who do too much damage to the American people.

More, and faster please

Posted by: John J. Coupal at February 21, 2006 10:55 AM

Return of the Spoils System. Security makes them both lazy and noisy.

Posted by: ed at February 21, 2006 12:26 PM

The demoted appointees were probably from his own first term disloyalist, Colin Powell.

Posted by: Ray Clutts at February 21, 2006 4:23 PM

Ray:

General Powell lied like a rug when we needed him to in front of the UN. How much more loyal could he have been?

Posted by: oj at February 21, 2006 4:28 PM
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