IF CENTRALIZATION IS GENERALLY A BAD IDEA...:

US foreign policy: Waiting on a sun king (Edward Luce and Daniel Dombey, March 30 2010, Financial Times)

Fifteen months after he took office, the character and structure of Mr Obama’s foreign policy machinery is still evolving. But from interviews with dozens of insiders and outsiders, including senior officials both authorised and unauthorised to speak, and three former national security advisers, it is clear the buck not only stops with, but often floats for quite a long time around, Mr Obama himself. [...]

“On the positive side, we have a very conscientious president who takes advice widely,” says the official. “On the debit side, for all the president’s intelligence, Barack Obama came to office with very little experience. He just doesn’t have much depth on some issues.”

...centering around a non-entity is a terrible one. It wouldn't matter that Mr. Obama doesn't know much and has no executive experience if he were willing to delegate. But his insistence on being the bridesmaid at every wedding makes for lousy governance.

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 31, 2010 6:12 PM