Article

2004-12-09 Home Front: Politix

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Mike Sylwester 2004-12-09 8:36:27 AM|| || Front Page|| [7 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 This is the best you could do, Mike? The Dhimmicrat slime machine has really fallen on hard times.

Posted by Mrs. Davis 2004-12-09 8:59:20 AM|| 2004-12-09 8:59:20 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 A guy with a SPREADSHEET??!!?????

Wonderful. Security brought you by the B-school brigade.

Posted by too true 2004-12-09 9:44:20 AM|| 2004-12-09 9:44:20 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Frankly, this is as lame as it gets.

Posted by ChronWatchAdvisor 2004-12-09 11:53:30 AM|| [http://www.chronwatch.com] 2004-12-09 11:53:30 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Sid ~~Vicious~~ Blumenthal has a Kerik-hitpiece in the Al-Guardian as well. The Dem meme requires some bogeyman, and Ashkkkroft is going away....

Posted by Frank G 2004-12-09 12:01:50 PM|| 2004-12-09 12:01:50 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Cohen's bloviating but the larger point here is correct: this is not a job for an ass-kicker a la Rumsfeld. Dir of DHS has no real authority; he's basically a beltway version of Kofi, and needs superb inside baseball skills. Kerik's a very weird choice for this uber-bureaucratic post.

Unless Rove thinks New York state is now in play...

Posted by lex 2004-12-09 12:02:15 PM|| 2004-12-09 12:02:15 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Y'all are drinking the kool aid. Something very weird is going on here. Bush selected Kerik only because Giuliani pushed his candidacy so hard.

What is Bush going to get from Giuliani in return?

Posted by lex 2004-12-09 12:04:03 PM|| 2004-12-09 12:04:03 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 lex - You were there?

Posted by .com 2004-12-09 12:07:04 PM|| 2004-12-09 12:07:04 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Giuliani's reported by CNN to have made two direct pitches to the White House. And Giuliani's been publicly lobbying for this on the talk shows as well, most recently on Imus.

Posted by lex 2004-12-09 12:17:35 PM|| 2004-12-09 12:17:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 My guess is that early announcement of a Giuliani presidential candidacy would pre-empt McCain from running.

Posted by lex 2004-12-09 12:18:45 PM|| 2004-12-09 12:18:45 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Actually, Kerik now resides in New Jersey. Corzine will run for governor so a senate seat will open up in 06. Could be.

Posted by Mrs. Davis 2004-12-09 12:39:56 PM|| 2004-12-09 12:39:56 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Dir of DHS is the shittiest job in Washington. Ridge's career has been blighted by his DHS tenure-- in fact, he's probably finished politically. No one would take on DHS unless there were some other political game afoot.

Posted by lex 2004-12-09 1:37:30 PM|| 2004-12-09 1:37:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 Lex,

Did Ridge have inside baseball skills necessary to run DHS? Who would you suggest does?

Posted by Mrs. Davis 2004-12-09 1:59:14 PM|| 2004-12-09 1:59:14 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Looks like I'm a contrarian today all over RB.

It remains to be seen how Kerik will do at DHS, but I'm not inclined to write him off before he even gets started. He has a history of successfully motivating law enforcement types while overcoming turf protectiveness and holding people directly accountable for what happens under their responsibilities.

Oh, yeah - one tool he used was a set of detailed statistical performance measures that were carefully chosen to get at the heart of what needed doing in NYC. A spreadsheet guy after all - but one who could use those numbers effectively.

Washington is a broader, harder challenge, but it's more than premature to suggest Kerik is a wierd choice for DHS ... in many ways his performance in NYC suits him for this job much better than Ridge's ever did.

Posted by too true 2004-12-09 3:20:22 PM|| 2004-12-09 3:20:22 PM|| Front Page Top

#14 Did Ridge have inside baseball skills necessary to run DHS?
No, but he didn't completely f--- up. I think it's probably an impossible job. Anyone qualified to tackle this job is too smart to take it. It's a poisoned chalice.

Who would you suggest does?
A cunning, ruthless, and preferably unscrupulous Beltway insider with experience on the Hill and in Cabinet-level or a White House chief of staff capacity. Cheney would be ideal.

Posted by lex 2004-12-09 3:56:42 PM|| 2004-12-09 3:56:42 PM|| Front Page Top

#15 Cheney also because he's discreet, unlike Rummy. It's not a bully pulpit. I suppose the best thing about Kerik is his understanding of first-responders. They're the truly important link here. I doubt he'll break through the institutional idiocy of the INS (or whatever it's called these days).

Posted by lex 2004-12-09 4:01:39 PM|| 2004-12-09 4:01:39 PM|| Front Page Top

#16 A cunning, ruthless, and preferably unscrupulous Beltway insider with experience on the Hill and in Cabinet-level or a White House chief of staff capacity. Cheney would be ideal.

and what makes you think Cheney won't be available to mentor Kerik? Two birds with one stone .... prep Kerik for bigger things.

Posted by too true 2004-12-09 4:04:48 PM|| 2004-12-09 4:04:48 PM|| Front Page Top

#17 Cheney's not got enough to do in his day job?

Hugh Hewitt's analysis supports my initial suspicion that this is a favor to Giuliani, who's gaining traction among solid Bush supporters and who will reciprocate by knocking McCain out of the running early:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/010tctvf.asp?pg=2

Posted by lex 2004-12-09 5:03:40 PM|| 2004-12-09 5:03:40 PM|| Front Page Top

#18 This is a cheap WPOST attack, how sickning.

Posted by Clutch Sling3972 2004-12-09 8:04:36 PM|| 2004-12-09 8:04:36 PM|| Front Page Top

#19 A point, if I may: a favor to Giuliani does not mean Kerik won't kick ass in the job. They are not mutually exclusive... in fact, if they were, it would make Giuliani an real asshole for recommending him - which I do not buy for a second.

I think Kerik will get a shot and prolly do a good job - hell, he may just kick ass - there is nothing on the record to suggest otherwise, merely speculation and such.

And speaking of kicking ass... I think knocking McCain in the head is a wonderful idea. I will happily buy Giuliani a Louisville Slugger of any length and weight he desires, should he wish one for the job. I think drilling him like a 70mph Class-A "fastball" right into orbit would be nice.

Okay. As you were.

Posted by .com 2004-12-09 8:14:44 PM|| 2004-12-09 8:14:44 PM|| Front Page Top

#20 If the Washington Post or the New York Times or CBS said it was going to be bright and sunny tomorrow - I'd bring my umbrella to work. Their credibility is zero. They're just the PR Dept for the Democratic Party.

Posted by AJackson 2004-12-09 11:23:07 PM|| 2004-12-09 11:23:07 PM|| Front Page Top

23:57 Bomb-a-rama
23:47 lex
23:44 Aris Katsaris
23:42 lex
23:42 AJackson
23:40 lex
23:40 Sobiesky
23:34 lex
23:33 Frank G
23:30 AJackson
23:29 gromky
23:27 Capt America
23:25 Aris Katsaris
23:24 gromky
23:23 AJackson
23:18 JosephMendiola
23:17 Ricky Williams
23:14 VAclerk
23:12 JosephMendiola
23:10 Frank G
22:56 phil_b
22:50 trailing wife
22:49 .com
22:48 .com