OUR DEMOCRAT PRESIDENT:

It appeared, in January 2009, that the old argument was finally settled in Eisenhower's favor when Barack Obama began his presidency with Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff. While the Obama administration had its share of rocky moments, little of it appeared to be traced to White House disorder, and it seemed both parties had adopted the same model. 

So it's a bit of a surprise that Trump has abandoned the Eisenhower model, but appears to be trying out the failed Democratic style. Trump does have a designated chief of staff, Reince Priebus. But he appears to have a weak version of the job, with a three- or four- or perhaps even five-headed organizational structure a better description of what's happening. Originally, Priebus was announced as part of a duel-command structure with Steve Bannon, but Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner made it three, and Kellyanne Conway has been portrayed as one of a "Big Four." And don't forget Vice President Mike Pence, who might make it five. Could National Security Advisor Michael Flynn even mean six? That's part of the problem; without a solid structure, everything is up in the air, which gives everyone strong incentives for turf wars. 

Each appears to have fairly arbitrary portfolios -- Kushner for example is supposedly in charge of a Middle East peace initiative, while Conway has been tasked with health care -- and each has brought staff with them (Priebus from the Republican National Committee, Bannon from Breitbart) who it appears are clearly identified with the person who brought them. It can't help, either, that the total government experience among the Big Four was Conway's brief early-career stint as a judicial clerk. None of them have hands-on experience with how a presidency works -- or how a presidency can go wrong. 

This appears to be producing exactly what Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter could have predicted: A White House with competing factions, with frequent leaks and the air of chaos. 

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