President Bush wants Cabinet to reflect his policies

How can this be a story? Isn’t being a cabinet secretary an extention of the power of the president? They are appointed by the President to carry out the admininstrations policies, not be lords over their own fiefdom.

President Bush is requiring Cabinet members to spend several hours a week at the White House compound, a move top aides say eases coordination with government agencies but one seen by some analysts as fresh evidence of the White House’s tightening grip over administration policy.

Under a directive instituted by Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. at the start of Bush’s second term, Cabinet secretaries spend as many as four hours a week working out of an office suite set up for them at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House. There, they meet with presidential policy and communications aides in an effort to better coordinate the administration’s initiatives and messages.

You would think that this would be a good thing. No ambiguity of message. You do not want the Treasury Secretary and the Health and Human Services Secretary sending out different messages as typically was the case in the first term and prior administrations. The population and the markets appreciate consistancy, right or wrong.

Then you have this gem;

Paul C. Light, a professor of public service at New York University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, sees its purpose differently. “This administration has been very conscious in the second term of the need to control what happens in Cabinet agencies and to make sure Cabinet officers don’t get too far out there,” he said. “I find it absolutely shocking that they would have regular office hours at the White House. It confirms how little the domestic Cabinet secretaries have to do with making policy.”

As if being a cabinet secretary is the arbiter of policy? This is why they shed titles such as Lord when they created these positions. It is not rocket science, the secretaries carry out the policies of the president. I bet ol’ Paul Light has tenure and his understanding of public policy justifies the nice tuition being spent for him to teach our children.

White House aides with strong ties to Bush also have been placed in strategic sub-Cabinet jobs. Bush also has nominated former White House counselor Karen P. Hughes and Dina Powell, who headed presidential personnel during his first term, to top jobs at the State Department, where they will work on repairing the nation’s image in the Muslim world.

In at least one case, a key appointment was made despite the contrary wishes of an agency head. New Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez, former head of the Kellogg Co., was set to bring in a longtime vice president, George A. Franklin, to be a senior adviser. But the White House scuttled that plan after officials learned that Franklin had made a $500 contribution to the presidential campaign of Democrat John F. Kerry, an administration source said. Later, White House deputy press secretary Claire Buchan was named Gutierrez’s chief of staff.

How is this a story. If you want an effective government, you actively seek out people who have supported your opponent?Could you imagine the outcry, Madeline Albright going to President Clinton asking to have George Shultz as an assistant Secretary of State. C’Mon folks, lets get real. With the problem of leaks and getting bureaucracies to follow the line, it is hard enough to get a policy initiated and enforced within the ranks. If you send the message that you do not have to follow the present governments positions and policies because you do not believe them, what will you have.

You guessed it, The STATE DEPARTMENT.

Cable News Ratings: Is MSNBC Still On the Air

CABLE NEWS RACE RATINGS FOR TUES, MARCH 29 VIEWERSHIP:

FNC OREILLY 2,428,000
FNC HANNITY/COLMES 2,121,000
FNC GRETA 1,700,000
CNN LARRY KING 1,529,000
FNC CNN AARON BROWN 1,160,000
CNN COOPER 748,000
CNN PAULA ZAHN 664,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 490,000
CNNHN NANCY GRACE 420,000
MSNBC ABRAMS 412,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 396,000
MSNBC SCARBOROUGH 386,000
CNBC DENNIS MILLER 110,000

Is MSNBC actually still on the air and if so how or maybe the question be why? Their 4 Top Shows: OLBERMANN 490,000, ABRAMS 412,000, HARDBALL 396,000 and SCARBOROUGH 386,000 combined are barely better than Fox’s SHEP SMITH 1,402,000 in viewership. The Fox Report with Shepard Smith is a 7pm show while the MSBNC one’s are more traditional Prime Time Shows. When the entire MSNBC line up competes with either Hannity & Combs or The O’Reilly Factor its not even a contest.

I feel obligated to mention to MSNBC that Tom & Red are available to do a Prime Time Show. I am sure the blogoshere would tune in and give us better ratings than Chris Matthews and everyone would be glad to see Olbermann go. Just a suggestion.

Hat Tip: Drudge Report

What Happened To Liberal Tolerance, Ann Coulter Took Care of That

Liberals used to pride themselves on having all the answers to life’s questions. They used to be able to articulately debate an issue, ask pointed questions and handle themselves with some form of decorum. Now they are reduced to ill-mannered clods who are more intending being disrespectful and disruptive than they are informed. Add the blond fireball Ann Coulter to the mix and you get liberals losing their minds.

As soon as she stepped up to the microphone, Coulter fired off one zinger after another about liberalism while promising to answer questions from left-wing members in the audience who could “thrash their way to a coherent thought.”

Coulter received several standing ovations during her speech, but she also found herself interrupted several times by a small, scattered group of hecklers.

“I think there are some people in the audience who meant to be at the sexual reorientation class down the hall,” Coulter said, in response to the heckling.

Ann Coulter knows exactly what drives libs to the edge and never misses an opportunity to bring them there. The difference is that Ann has the wit and style to go up against anyone and can dish it out is a verbal joust with the best of them. She riles the Left to such a frenzy that all they are reduced to is vulgar jeers and heckling.

In one breadth she is seriously discussing politics and then in mid sentence this comes out:

“Despite Kerry’s loss, Democrats think their political stances and ideas just “need new labels for their bottles” and Coulter resumed her critical remarks, calling Sen. Ted Kennedy a “human dirigible” and the Democrats’ “spiritual leader.”

The effect of it all is leaving Liberal lying in the dust. Their ability to reason, debate, question or form a sentence lost for all eternity. I knew there was a reason why we loved her.

Scared Monkeys on CNN – Terri Schiavo Case

Red’s post on The 11th Circuits denial was the lead on CNN’s Inside the Blogs.

A Special THANK YOU to Trey Jackson of Jackson’s Junction for supplying us a video of it. He is a great guy. Not only does he tape it, he also sent us an email to let us know. If he has a thirst, I will buy him whatever he wants at BlogNashville.

Great job Red, next stop Fox!

More Rational Peace Loving, Free Speech Liberals

Every wonder why no one take Liberals serious anymore. Do you ever wonder why the moon bats can not articulate a sentence to defend their position? Do you wonder what ever happened to the Free Speech Liberals that think its their American, patriotic duty to voice their opinion?

This is what they have become.

Not only do they not comprehend their are ramifications to their actions, this is how they voice their dissent? What’s next the student was going to tell Bill Kristol that his mother wore combat boots? Get a life folks. This is the future of the Democratic Party.

Let me just add what a compassionate show of tolerance.