Who Will He Appoint Next?
Posted by: Emperor Darth Misha I in Idiotarians, Politics, Pres. Milquetoast11:54 pm
(Via LC & IB Michelle Malkin, thanks to LC Azygos)
And we thought that former President Wilhelm von Blowjob had the Nepotism Racket cornered.
The Bush administration is seeking to appoint a lawyer with little immigration or customs experience to head the troubled law enforcement agency that handles those issues, prompting sharp criticism from some employee groups, immigration advocates and homeland security experts.
“But… But… She’s cute!“
The push to appoint Julie Myers to head the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security, comes in the midst of intense debate over the qualifications of department political appointees involved in the sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina.
…an intense debate that has been mysteriously lacking in one, we’d think, rather crucial area, namely what exactly it was that Michael Brown and FEMA did wrong. So far, there have been no takers, other than vague suggestions that he should’ve been fired because he didn’t take enough time away from managing emergencies to watch CNN. This somewhat strange claim is made even stranger by the fact that that the news that he was excoriated for not having watched hadn’t become actual news yet when he professed his “ignorance” of it.
But, all that aside, it does seem rather strange for a President to immediately follow up on an unwarranted apology for lack of experience in Federal management by appointing somebody whose experience in the area she’s supposed to be managing is just about zero. And when we say “just about”, we actually mean “exactly.”
But… she’s cute!
Concerns over Myers, 36, were acute enough at a Senate hearing last week that lawmakers asked the nominee to detail during her testimony her postings and to account for her management experience. Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) went so far as to tell [remarkably, without breaking down and sobbing like a schoolgirl - M.] Myers that her résumé indicates she is not qualified for the job.
Presumably Sen. Voinovich based that on the fact that the “prior experience” part of her resumé didn’t contain any actual, how shall we put it, experience.
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, Sen. Voinovich.
Now, if only you could stick with an opinion for longer than five minutes:
But Voinovich has since met with Myers and is now likely to support her, his spokeswoman said yesterday.
She made him cry. We just know it.
“I realize that I’m not 80 years old,” Myers testified. “I have a few gray hairs, more coming, but I will seek to work with those who are knowledgeable in this area, who know more than I do.”
…and that’s exactly what you want in the head of a Dept.: Somebody who will let her subordinates tell her what to do because she, frankly, has no idea what she’s dealing with. Splendid. On that note, His Majesty would like to apply for the position of CEO of Microsoft. Granted, he has absolutely no experience whatsoever in managing a multi-gazillion dollar global software conglomerate, but he’s ever so willing to “work with those who are knowledgeable in that area, who know more than he does.” Just make sure the salary rolls in on time and we’ll let the underdogs do the actual work for us.
The sacrifices we’re willing to make. It almost makes us cry, but Sen. Voinovich seems to have hoarded the National Strategical Kleenex Reserve.
But we may have been too rough on Mrs. Wood, nee Myers. Other than being cute, she does have some vital qualifications:
Her uncle is Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, the departing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She married Chertoff’s current chief of staff, John F. Wood, on Saturday.
Plus: She’s cute.
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is SHE cute, or were the concerns acute
September 21st, 2005 at 12:23 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows 98
I dunno… I’d be willing to see what the woman can do, and I’m not affected by “cute” (well… not in women, anyway
).
In order to get much worse, Immigration would have to start sending out engraved invitations to illegals. I’d be willing see if she can improve the agency before jumping on her case.
September 21st, 2005 at 12:59 amUsing Mozilla Firefox 1.0 on Windows XP
I think what I was trying to say above is that it may TAKE a fresh look to see the problems in the department. Someone who’s never been involved with immigration before, asking questions about why things are done this way or that way to make people look at it twice. People with experience also tend to have ingrained habits, and current habits are something we do NOT want in Immigration.
That happens to me frequently when I’m training some new hot-shot fresh out of computer science classes who asks me why I do things this way or that, and it really makes me think about it. Sometimes there’s a logical reason for it, but at other times it’s just an ingrained habit from working with mainframes that no longer exist, like my habit of looking at units from right to left. That originated with running old computers that used binary coded hexidecimal control panels. Binary is read from right to left instead of left to right, and it was easier to keep the same orientation pattern. Now it’s just a habit, with no logical rationale to keep it. The young tigers make me look at stuff like that :).
Maybe a new viewpoint is needed.
September 21st, 2005 at 1:10 amUsing Mozilla Firefox 1.0 on Windows XP
First- a comment, just to add spice to life, about LC Mama’s quote of
…well, it depends on your view….Left is the most significant bit, and right is the least..
September 21st, 2005 at 2:11 amBut, back on topic……
Government ineptitude is in full effect….
‘ nuff said’
Every day makes me realize that those in government wouldn’t see common sense if it fell from space, landed on their face and wiggled…
These people are in charge? ……not good…
Using Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
Round the Reader
Well, it’s my turn for Round the Reader. Chad over at In the Bullpen has done enough for me in recent months so that when he asked me to take over this episode, I heartily agreed. Besides, it’s not like I don’t do this stuff all th…
September 21st, 2005 at 2:39 amUsing WordPress 1.5.1.3
LC #2112
… and that depends on whether you’re calculating it or just reading it ;). Once upon a time I could actually just read five binary codes as if they were plain English, and knew exactly which code I was looking at. I had a bit of a problem differentiating Hollerith from EBCDIC at first, but finally caught on to the difference between the hi/low x and the parity bit. Don’t think I could even calculate it now, though… it’s been too long since I’ve seen it. Most hex is displayed in Arabic/Roman characters these days.
As for Immigration, I just don’t see how it could get any worse than it is. Legal immigrants are forced to jump through hoops to get here, and illegals just wander in unchecked. I don’t see how the department can get any more incompetent than it already is.
September 21st, 2005 at 4:09 amUsing Mozilla Firefox 1.0 on Windows XP
Well then, I would like my name in the ring for Dept of Transportation next time it comes up. I can drive, I see planes fly over all the time and we have railroad tracks about a mile from our house. People think our cat is cute also, if that would help.
September 21st, 2005 at 5:40 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
Ahhh, well I would rather see an article from an outfit not quite as questionable as the Washington Post critiquing the credentials of Julie Myers…
Why does anyone believe the substance of this or any WaPo article when they have a known track record of either outright lying or slanting the reporting of anything even remotely related to Republicans unless that Republican is a R.I.N.O. and attacking this present Republican administration?
September 21st, 2005 at 6:23 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
“…some vital qualifications…”
The soon-to-be venerable Rt. Hon. Mrs. Wood has one other qualification that may have been overlooked.
Fearless Leader both trusts her and has found her a competent subordinate. He knew her elevation was going to be fodder for the gristmills of his supporters-and ammunition of his enemies-and he made it anyway.
Such a decision at the present juncture must give careful people pause. While it may indeed be true that this high post has yet to be earned through time, it has indeed been attained by sacrifice and trust.
Further, there is another context. The President has decided that it is the military- not the civilian governmental organizations- that are to be trusted when things get nasty. He wants someone he knows and has confidence in to stand between the Generals and the leadership. This has not been an easy lesson to learn but it does appear to be the result of five years of trying to formulate and then execute decisions.
Our civilian institutions have become so ineffectual and corrupt that it should not surprise anyone that things were moving in this direction.
Last thing: Please do not underestimate the shift that this appointment represents. The President is known to be famously and furiously angered at the incompetent and ineffectual bureaucratic entities that he himself created. Like Dr. Frankenstein, he must now suffer along with the rest of us.
On another occasion let us debate the long-term implications of this decision but reflect in the interim on a society where, in the reality of life and death, it is only the armed forces that work. “Jollie Ollie” and the whole Cromwell thing we must talk about on future occasions.
September 21st, 2005 at 7:50 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
[…] So says Misha. Posted by Ian S. in […]
September 21st, 2005 at 7:52 amUsing WordPress 1.5.2
I will speak firsthand for the ineptitude of government agencies, and for the ability of military personnel to shake the foundations and rock the boat of said place, as I’m enduring precisely that now. (The problem with our military manager is that he ignores the chain of command and the organization structure and is therefore stepping on a lot of toes and making a lot of enemies among his own peers.)
I dunno if this is a bad thing or not. Let’s wait and see.
September 21st, 2005 at 8:04 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
You gotta admit, regardless — that she is quite cute. Misha hit that one on the head for sure.
September 21st, 2005 at 8:39 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
Pomoze Bog.
Good! Sell of all assets piecemeal, then use the liquidation funds to build a arms-manufacturing conglomerate. Much more fun making the tools of the military trade than those of computer geeks…
As for Myers’ qualifications, remember—Lewinksy was “qualified” by her looks, too.
Tsar Lazar
September 21st, 2005 at 8:48 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
“As for Myers’ qualifications, remember—-Lewinksy was “qualified” by her looks, too.”
Yep…large lips and a round mouth. I wonder if Julie Myers has the same qualifications, and also how much time has she spent in the oval office with GWB….alone? Enquiring minds want to know
As to heading up the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, there’s now way that things can get any worse in that agency, so the only direction is up. Who knows, under Ms. Myers leadership, they might even enforce U.S. immigration law - wouldn’t that be kinky? Heh.
September 21st, 2005 at 9:18 amUsing Mozilla Firefox 1.0.6 on Windows 2000
Absolutely Off-Topic.
What ever happened to Kim DuToit?
His website has been completely wiped out. Nothing. Out of concern, I looked around and finally got to the Mrs. site, where I found this:
Let’s just hope that everything goes well for The Imperial Firearms Advisor and the Imperial Political and Educational Advisor (and Supreme Chef of the Empire).
September 21st, 2005 at 10:10 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows 2000
Oh, no, here we go again…
Breaking news out of New Orleans: Cindy Sheehan’s other son was just found dead in the waterlogged ruins of New Orleans.
Via The Onion:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/40764
ROFLMAO!
September 21st, 2005 at 10:59 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows 2000
Man, I almost took this seriously before it clicked in my head just where it came from. The Onion is great, some of the best satire around.
better be careful though, given Saint Cindy’s delicate mental condition….she may read this and believe it!
September 21st, 2005 at 11:08 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
Obviously, Misha, you have no real world job experience. People are appointed as managers over more experienced people ALL THE TIME — and most of the time they do just fine.
Where should we start? How about lieutenants in the Marines? They are over sargeants and higher ranked career noncoms. They give operational directives and they tell their boys “go get it done” and the Sargeants et al go figure out how to get it done. They have no training in maneuvering under fire or any other skills the noncoms could teach in their sleep. They were trained to manage people — soldiers are people too btw.
What about software companies — you mentioned microsoft after all. Microsoft and Intel may have been started by geeks in their garages but as they became real companies they had to hire paper-pusher middle managers who had ZERO computer software/hardware experience. Neither seems likely to crash and burn anytime soon.
How about hospitals? Dedicated to saving lives they have doctors with decades of experience managed by paper pushers whose only skills are in making sure the hospital doesn’t run out of drugs and other consumables at an inconvenient moment.
Frankly about the ONLY industry I can think of that DOESN’T work this way is the education industry. Maybe is that where you work? Because that isn’t the real world at all, and so that would further support my opinion you have no “real world” experience.
Almost ALL POLITICAL appointments work EXACTLY the same way. Somebody with general management experience gets appointed, they give overall directives and then they have to trust their staff to get it done.
This appointment is no different and if you could get past your irrational hatred of Bush you might be able to see that.
RH
PS. BTW, you think she’s cute? What are you smoking? Frankly she’s quite plain and mousy, just shy of outright ugly!
September 21st, 2005 at 11:39 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
OH, and one last detail. Nepotism, by definition, means giving an appointment to an unqualified FAMILY MEMBER. This girl doesn’t appear to have any direct familial connection to President Bush. Had she been apointed to somewhere in the Joint Cheif’s of Staff by her new husband or father, that might have been nepostism. This is not.
RH
September 21st, 2005 at 11:42 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
Heh. I’ve been reading The Onion for about 25 years.
It used to be even more…sacriligious. I had a friend get suspended for three days for distributing it at my high school.
O/T: Surgery is done. Now, I get to wait and see if it did anything.
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers, y’all.
September 21st, 2005 at 12:11 pmUsing Mozilla Firefox 1.0.6 on Windows XP
Good luck, HDD. Keep us posted on your progress.
September 21st, 2005 at 12:17 pmUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows 2000
News to me. Also news to all of my various employers, but since we don’t live in “the real world”, we obviously wouldn’t know what we’re talking about [chuckle].
I’m not concerned about the “most of the time” people.
Out here in the “unreal world”, I’ve been taught that “most of the time” isn’t good enough but hey, since you’re obviously stuck with Walgreens, I won’t kick you any further because of your low expectations.
One thing we “unreal” people do to avoid “most of the time” managers is to require some sort of managerial experience from our prospects. Archaic, I know, but it works quite well for us phantasms.
Now, I realize full well that things may be done differently over here. I doubt it, but please keep it in mind and bear with me. You see, where I come from officers are required to go through a lot of tedious training in unimportant stuff like strategy, tactics, logistics, coordination of intelligence, the list goes on and on. What all of those things have in common is that they’re directly related to their future jobs as leaders of military units. Over there, the place where you learn that stuff is called a “Military Academy” and I may be going out on a limb here, but I’m almost 100% certain that we have them over here as well.
The point being, of course, that we don’t send them to nursing school or teach them how to manage a deli, since we know full well that the only experience worth having is relevant experience. Oh, and officers over there most definitely do have training in maneuvering under fire and other noncom and private skills as well, since you can’t even get into an Academy without having done your time as first a private and then a noncom, but that’s beside the point here.
Ah. A subject near and dear to my heart as a result of having worked for years under the blithering buffoon beancounters in that very sector.
Trust me, you don’t want to get me started on the subject of how much fun it is to be stripped of vital supplies at an inconvenient moment in the ER (the only kind of moment you have there) because the beancounters didn’t like the bottom line associated with ordering them and decided to hold it off while they looked for an alternative or an alternate supplier.
Or the time when one of my previous employers got stuck with an order for 8 new elevator cars that turned out to not fit in the shafts because the beancounters with their amazing experience liked the offer and couldn’t be arsed to call engineering to check if they’d fit.
You know what the three-piece-suit wonders’ suggestion was? “Just rebuild the elevator shafts.” Never mind that it would’ve ended up costing ten times as much as just ordering the right damn cars in the first place or, and this obviously was also no concern to them, the fact that even if we did, we’d be unable to operate on anybody taller than 6 feet.
Oh yes, I do so love those wondrous deskjockeys without experience in the health sector.
I just checked the vitals of your strawman and am happy to inform you that he’s alive and doing well.
For now [pulls out matchbox].
I’ve trained a lot of people in my life, but I have yet to see “teacher” in my job description anywhere.
Except Mrs. Wood nee Myers doesn’t seem to have much going for her in that area either:
So she is supposed to move from assistant secretary in a completely unrelated area to head of a Dept. in charge of well over 100 times as many employees and a budget 160 times larger?
Nice work if you can get it, I suppose.
My what?
I think you’d find (if you could be bothered to read anything I ever wrote) that you’d find that my criticisms of Bush are based on individual instances where I disagree with him and not, by any stretch of the definition, on any sort of “irrational hatred” whatsoever.
Of course, to a True Believer like yourself ANY criticism of Dear Leader has to be anchored firmly in “irrational hatred.”
I’m surprised you didn’t call me “heretic” while you were at it.
Go on. Amuse me some more.
September 21st, 2005 at 1:47 pmUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
True believer? Hell no. Bother to read anything you ever wrote? I may not have read *everything* but I’ve read quite a lot, and I see just as much bashing of Bush by you as by the lieberatzi, and frequently for things I think are of no consequence whatsoever. Different things of no consequence, perhaps, but otherwise virtually identical to the crap spewing from the far left wing. And frankly I hate your nickname for Bush too. But I did overstate things… so I’ll appologize you for an excellent rebuttal. My first post wasn’t so great after all.
Sorry if this wasn’t as amusing as you were hoping for so far. Perhaps the following paragraphs will amuse you more…
I’m just sick of people bashing Bush for no reason. And this particular bash of Bush originally appeared to have *zero* valid point to it. And I still don’t think this appointment is nearly as bad as you make it out to be. ‘Cuz face it she isn’t cute at all. She’s freakin ugly. And that was nearly half of your argument right there. Secondly it wasn’t nepotism, because she has no relationship to Bush whatsoever. Had her father appointed her that would be different. He didn’t. Bush did. Had her father blindly suggested her to Bush because she was daddies girl that too would have been nepotism and that would have been stupidity on Bush’s part… but I don’t see any evidence of that either.
I know plenty of managers who have ZERO experience at doing the job of the people they manage who are wonderful at their job. I know (and know of) lots of managers who used to do the jobs of people who they now manage who are terrible at it. For the record, I’m in the software industry and you find this kind of situation all the time. You get a talented programmer and promote him to manager and he just doesn’t have the people skills to handle it. You get a people person (like my cousin for example) who couldn’t program his way out of a cardboard box but he can manage a project, get his people to get the job done and soothe the customer, salvaging the contract and saving his company tons of embarrasment (or worse)… Of course there’s always the exception that proves the rule… but I think they are just that — the exception, not the rule.
RH
September 21st, 2005 at 2:46 pmUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
whoops that was supposed to be *congratulate* you for an excellent rebuttal….
September 21st, 2005 at 2:47 pmUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
In that case, it is my duty to apologize for the perhaps overly condescending tone in my reply as well. I didn’t see your point in the way it was meant and, therefore, replied in a different manner than I should have. Sorry about that.
I’ll also apologize for me calling you a “troll” in the follow-up post above which was written before I read this.
In that, we have a lot in common.
I am too. I do believe, however, that I tend to have good reason when I choose to bash him.
I certainly hope that you’re right. I’m just not particularly impressed by her and, in spite of your opposition to my use of the word “nepotism”, I still find myself highly suspicious of the reasons for her appointment, given her very obvious connections to people in high places.
I still think she’s kinda cute.
And no, it wasn’t really my argument. It was more my way of pointing out that that, other than her obvious connections, seems to be her only qualifications for the job.
I do too.
But that still doesn’t mean that I’d ever personally appoint somebody based on hopes that “he’ll turn out OK” alone.
Thanks for your reply.
September 21st, 2005 at 3:06 pmUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
Why does this guy think it could work?
What kinda qualities would a FOP Director think is important? I’m thinkin’there’s more in there than a purty face. ‘Didn’t see any cumstains on her dress, doubt she’s entrenched too deeply in the Bubba system, and she’s good at stalking cashtrails. ‘Could be bad news for the folks getting rich in the illegal’s arena. With them big ol’ heffe’s gone, would so many continue to come?
September 21st, 2005 at 4:13 pmUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows 2000
Pomoze Bog.
I hadn’t seen a picture of Myers until just now. I agree with the Emperor on this one; she’s a looker, and two years younger than I am. Hmmmmm…wonder what her e-mail address is…
Tsar Lazar
September 21st, 2005 at 5:09 pmUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
No offense taken… I’ve been called worse before. And probably will be called worse again…
And you definately had some good points in that one too. Bush hasn’t done as good a job in at least some areas — some people might even say many areas though I’m not sure I’d be one of them — but either way he has made mistakes.
Though I did enjoy running into this article recently. At least *some* Iraqi’s think our troops are doing a good job and appreciate their sacrifice. Probably not all. But this guy made a reasonable response to several of the idiotarian claims about the war in Iraq which were quite fun to read. I only hope the left was listening…
RH
September 21st, 2005 at 5:14 pmUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
Indeed. Down here in the grind, it’s fucking annoying. Up in the stratosphere in the elites, quite often executives and board members enter into a field with no actual experience in it, but they are so highly touted as managers and decision makers it doesn’t matter.
I don’t know if the “Who’s Running America?” series is still around, but reading it was an eye opener about the flexibility of seasoned executives to migrate from one industry to another, simply because they are goddamn good at being at the top.
This appointment may have been somewhat nepotist in a way, but if nepotism emanates from good stock and families who obviously train their children to be the best at what they do, I don’t have a problem with it.
September 21st, 2005 at 6:20 pmUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
Highly “touted” or highly “skilled”? If they are just touted as good managers they aren’t really good managers people just say they are. If they are highly skilled then they can go into a situation beyond their obvious experience and kick some arse.
RH
September 22nd, 2005 at 9:45 amUsing Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
so where’s a picture of this alleged “babe?” How are we supposed to judge her managerial abilities without a photo?
September 22nd, 2005 at 10:04 pmUsing Netscape 7.2 on Windows XP