Kohn was appointed to the Fed board by President Bush at Greenspan's urging. He had spent his entire career as a Fed economist and was the candidate of the Fed bureaucracy. Since the White House views the Fed staff as unfriendly to President Bush's fiscal policy, that ruled out Kohn. He also is an environmentalist who rides a bike to work, thus not a Bush type of guy.
Bernanke's chief rival was Martin Feldstein, 66, a Harvard professor and CEO of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Far more than Bernanke, he's an economic star. . . .
But he had many critics, notably James A. Baker II, who was White House chief of staff in the early 1980s when Feldstein was CEA chairman. They clashed when Feldstein spoke negatively, on and off the record, about Reagan's tax cuts. Baker thought Feldstein was disloyal and warned the current White House not to nominate him.
The other two candidates, Glenn Hubbard, 47, and Larry Lindsey, 51, worked for President Bush in his first term. Hubbard, now dean of Columbia Business School, was CEA chief. He favored the Bush policies of tax cuts and partial privatization of Social Security, but the president felt Hubbard sometimes talked down to him. . . .
Interesting, if not surprising.
3 comments:
Hubbard, now dean of Columbia Business School, was CEA chief. He favored the Bush policies of tax cuts and partial privatization of Social Security, but the president felt Hubbard sometimes talked down to him.
The president of the United States is bothered by people talking down to him? Shouldn't the chief executive have a little more confidence than that? It seems awfully insecure of him. Grow a spine, man! I would have thought that, no matter what his other failings, George W. Bush would never be found lacking for self-esteem.
Makes me wonder if he chose Miers because she was the only lawyer he could find who didn't talk down to him. Bush would never feel like the second-smartest person in the room when he has lunch with Harriet. That certainly would not be true with Luttig or McConnell (or Scalia, when the chief's chair opened up).
Memo to potential replacement SCOTUS nominees: When you have your meet-and-greet with Bush, don't talk about the Constitution, the law, or the judiciary, subjects about which you know more than the president. Chat about baseball or jogging or puppies or something about which the president can participate as at least an equal. Forget the latest appellate decision; glance at the latest issue of Men's Health on your way to the White House. Keep the conversation on Bush's turf and he'll never feel threatened by your intellect or expertise. Remember, the president is looking into your heart, not your brain.
Remember -- if you ride a bike to work, you aren't a good Republican. Get a Hummer for your mile and a half urban commute, and show support for the good 'ol US of A.
I find W's poor or indifferent judgement in nominating Miers an interesting contrast to his nomination of Bernanke.
The guy seems genuinely qualified.
Must be that was handled by the adults in the administration! ;-)
Post a Comment