August 27, 2007, - 3:44 pm

Cronyville AGAIN?: New DHS Secretary Rumors Cause for Concern

By
If and when Michael “” Chertoff becomes the first Attorney General of the United States who , then here’s who CNN believes will be the next Secretary of Homeland Security (and it’s not good–ZERO law enforcement experience):
Clay Johnson III. Who the heck is he? Most DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE-DHS’ largest agency) agents have never heard of him, another bad sign. From what we do know of his background, it has nothing–absolutely nothing–do with law enforcement experience, and everything–absolutely everything–to do with being a Bush crony. Julie Myers in pants running Homeland Security. Oy:


Lame Duck Bush DHS Going From Bad to Worse?: Him for Him?

Clay Johnson, deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, would replace Chertoff, the senior administration officials said.
Johnson, a longtime friend of Bush, served as the president’s chief of staff and appointments secretary when Bush was governor of Texas. He was executive director of the Bush-Cheney transition team.

G-d help us save this nation. And please G-d, fast forward the Bush Administration to its conclusion.
We simply can’t take much more of this:

Clay Johnson is the Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget. The Deputy Director for Management provides government-wide leadership to Executive Branch agencies to improve agency and program performance. Prior to this he was the Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, responsible for the organization that identifies and recruits approximately 4000 senior officials, middle management personnel and part-time board and commission members.
From 1995 to 2000, Mr. Johnson worked with Governor George W. Bush in Austin, first as his Appointments Director, then as his Chief of Staff, and then as the Executive Director of the Bush-Cheney Transition.
Mr. Johnson has been the Chief Operating Officer for the Dallas Museum of Art and the President of the Horchow and Neiman Marcus Mail Order companies. [DS: And this has WHAT to do with Homeland Security?!] He also has worked for Citicorp, Wilson Sporting Goods and Frito Lay.
He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and a Masters degree from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. In Austin, he helped create the Texas State History Museum, and was also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas Graduate School of Business. In Dallas, he served as President of the Board of Trustees for St. Marks School of Texas, and as a Board Member of Equitable Bankshares, Goodwill Industries of Dallas, and the Dallas Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization.

Thanks to David Lunde/Lundesigns for Technical Assistance w/this image

More from Think Progress (hate to quote the lefties, but they’re right on this one):

He is one of Bush’s oldest friends, having attended both prep school and college with the President.

Well that does it. Of course, he’s the best one to run DHS. He went to PA at Exeter.
But, hey, he did run a museum, which is kinda what DHS is–a museum of exhibits, and very little of substance.
Hmmm . . . he ran Nieman Marcus’ mail order division. My mom shops at Nieman Marcus. Therefore, I, too, must be qualified to run that agency.
I’ll say it ahead of time for the President:

Johnson, You’re Doin’ a Heckuva Job.




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22 Responses

Apparently the name of the game is to NOT be qualified to achieve a high ranking position in this administration.
This guy fits in as well as the head of the arabian horse association fits in as head of FEMA :\

ConservativesLovePuns(descent) on August 27, 2007 at 3:58 pm

From the conservative point of view, isn’t it time to stop relying on the government, even for protection? Some of these appointments should remind us that government is rarely the solution to any problem.
The 2nd Amendment is looking more important than ever.
WORD.
DEBBIE SCHLUSSEL

WillPower on August 27, 2007 at 4:17 pm

You go, girl! Great column, keep it up!

EmilYnot on August 27, 2007 at 5:17 pm

Qualifications are often irrelevant for the powerful elite and their cohorts; one egregious, but hardly atypical, example that comes immediately to mind is that of Paul Wolfowitz, who went from a high-ranking position in the defense department to head the World Bank. His qualifications for this job remain a mystery, at least to me. Time and again, well-connected, highly paid individuals such as Wolfowitz bounce from one elite job to another, appointed by their friends despite a complete lack of experience in those particular endeavors. This occurs in the private sector as well as in government. Too often, it’s not what you know, but who you know.

commonsense on August 27, 2007 at 5:27 pm

We have heard many times how much George Bush values loyalty and friendship. He is looking out for his friends, and using patronage at the very highest levels of government to do so. He really does not care at all about their incompetence; he is incompetent, but he got the job of President. Why should he worry about incompetence at lower levels? That just would not make sense at all, and he is not that dumb; we are because we elected him — twice, no less! He has played us for fools, and we are paying a heavy price. He cannot be gone too soon!

Dr. D on August 27, 2007 at 7:20 pm

CNN has been wrong before, and we can only hope they are here too. But I wouldn’t be suprised if it were true. Bush has always relied on croynism and with just over a year left in his term and his chances of a positive legacy next to nil, maybe he figures he has nothing else to lose. If there’s anything we can learn from the past eight years, and it is a lot, is that maybe next time we’ll vote with our heads instead of our gut. Heck, even from the heart would be a step up.

AlternativeThought on August 27, 2007 at 8:19 pm

Again, per my earlier post on a different blog entry by Ms. Schlussel on this site, this should come as little surprise to anyone.
First of all, the press reported the whole of the day, since this story broke in the early A.M., that President Bush is a man who “values and rewards loyalty” – don’t anyone delude themselves that the safety, security and liberty of Americans everywhere figures very prominently into the mind of this president. All you can count on is that all he is thinking about is who’s up next for payback for their loyalty to him and stroking his ego, instead of doing him a REAL service, and telling him what a f**king disaster this whole Homeland Security debacle is.
Furthermore, per my last post, even if anyone WERE qualified, who would want the job, anyway? A third rate cabinet secretary with less than 18 months in office – hardly enough time to make any positive difference, and exposed to take the fall if 9/11, Act II happens. Truly a losing proposition if you ask anyone who would even be considered for the post.
G-d help us all !!!

4EVERCUSTOMS on August 27, 2007 at 8:34 pm

Jest like his daddy……Bush 41 appointed a lawyer who campaigned for him as the Commissioner of INS (after leaving the slot vacant for a year).

LocalLawman on August 27, 2007 at 9:39 pm

I cant believe I voted twice for this assclown. Dubya is doing more to singlehandedly destroy the GOP than all the Mark Foleys, Michael Browns, and Larry Craigs ever could. If Fred Thomson thinks hes being coy by teasing all with his delaying into entering this race, hell find out soon enough that all GOP’ers lost our faith in the party long ago…

CapitalistPig on August 27, 2007 at 9:50 pm

George W. Bush’s confidential MySpace entry:
Hi. My name is United States President George Walker Bush. You can call
me the Commander Guy if you want. Or you can just call me The Decider
if you want. You had best call me one or the other or I will have my
man Chertoff pay you a visit! Know what I mean? I am now in my second
triumphant term after wining it by an even bigger landslide than I won my
first marvelous term by.
I graduated from Yale in June 1968 in the top 99% of my class. Then I
went into the Texas Air National Guard. I was a Top Gun and almost
single handedly protected America from the Viet Cong. You didn’t see any
Viet Cong in America, now did you? Well did you? See. See what I mean!
I am sure to go down in history as one of the greatest Presidents of
all time in U.S. history. Probably only after that guy what’s his name
George something. Hey, I just thought of it, he had the same first name
as me!
After binging peace and tranquility and democracy to the Muslims in
Iraq and the rest of the Middle East, I will now bring peace and
tranquility and democracy to all the brothers and sisters of Norte America, just
wait and see. One success will follow the other as everything I touch
just seems to turn to gold.
I sometimes like to chill out after a long day of serving the Norte
American people by watching reruns of the Three Stooges on TV. Don’t you
just love those guys? I have learned so much from them and try to make
all my cabinet level and department head selections based on their
philosophy.
I would like to think that I am open minded, honest and polite except
to those damn unamerican nativist racists who disagree with me and do
not want what is right for the Wall Street Journal, Tysons Foods
and America! and of course compassionate and I appreciate
the same qualities in others. I am also not too fond of that al-Maliki
anymore, in fact I am thinking about what happened to that Ngo Dinh Diem
guy in Vietnam. If al-Maliki doesn’t get with my program pretty damn
fast! Know what I mean don’t you?
Who I’d like to meet:
…other Mexico and Mexican employing loving bloggers who understand
that Americans are too lazy to do the hard work that needs to be done to
keep the country running. Wise men and women who know that Islam is a
great religion of peace. People who like to eat tacos and burritos.
Cool people who live close to Washington D.C. so that we can get together
after work, kick back, and have a whole lot of fun while learning more
Spanish and drinking Tequila with my very best amigos Teddy, John,
Lindsey and Vicente.

feralcat9 on August 27, 2007 at 9:51 pm

Do governors make good presidents?
Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, William Jefferson Clinton, George W. Bush.
Does professional acting experience make the difference? And not just political acting.
Or does it come down to character, vision, intelligence and a good support staff?
If so, W if 0 for 4.

4EverUSA on August 27, 2007 at 11:08 pm

The sad truth is that is really doesn’t matter who is appointed Secretary of Homeland Security. The Department was DOA. It will continue to rot and stink until it has been dead long enough to be mummified. (Think Dept. of Energy or Veterans Affairs) JUSTICE and TREASURY were the “feds” for almost 200 years. When Congress created DHS, the feds moved to JUSTICE or became irrelevant. CUSTOMS was the only victim that made a difference. Nobody gives a rats azz about GSA, TSA, FEMA or the INS. The Coast Guard used to be in the Transportation Dept. Nuff said there. Secret Service? A Fraternity of pretty boy Post Standers who retire in twenty years and get hired by a fraternity brother or Bass brother or some such dim wit. OH WELL, the pay sho be good and the work simple.

FingerEleven on August 28, 2007 at 12:15 am

A guy like Clay Johnson might make sense if DHS already had strong bureau chiefs, with a clear sense of direction and that the agency was well entrenched for bureaucratic battles with other cabinet level agencies. Except that none of that is true. DHS will continue to get walked on and under sourced while this guy spends the next 17 months figuring out what the hell DHS does. But with great subordinate leaders like Julie Myers, it should all be a breeze.
But what should we expect from the president that gave us Donald “There is no insurgency” Rumsfled, Paul “Why do we need more than 70,000 troops” Wolfowitz, Michael “I know how to score a horse show” Brown and Alberto “What Constitution?” Gonzales?

Staypositive on August 28, 2007 at 12:27 am

I think that an outsider will be brought in for AG if the acting AG is not nominated or recess-appointed. Chertoff has too much baggage from DHS for a smooth confirmation hearing.
chsw

chsw on August 28, 2007 at 6:38 am

I worked for the State Fire Marshal in Missouri in 1994-96 and the state was encouraging departments to hire females who were unqualified for emergency management jobs. They figured they could send them to a quick school to teach them the ropes and a halo would appear over their heads making them an emergency manager. Along came the floods and the ìladiesî folded like a cheap suit. The old saying, You cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear might be remembered here. The Department of Homeland InSecurity will not be any better than the Department of InJustice is now.

TopAssistant on August 28, 2007 at 8:37 am

Is it just me, or does it seem President Bush has an awful lot of “close friends” as the Post writes.
Regardless of what you think of Bush, never put down someone’s service in the National Guard, Reserves, or peace time Armed Forces. They served, most did not. You can get killed very easily in the any of the aforementioned. Today’s obit, 26 y/o Sgt. preparing for deployment, gets sick, dies that day of Menningitis after going to sick call.
Try it sometime if you think it so easy.

code7 on August 28, 2007 at 8:45 am

code7,
I don’t generally agree with your posts, but I’d like to say you hit it on the head this time my friend.
Service to our country should never be minimized, and we shouldn’t ever allow someone to do so without calling them on it, even if they are just trying to be funny.
Way to go.
EVS

EverVigilantSheepdog on August 28, 2007 at 12:50 pm

Same dog, different collar…
The situation is not going to change regardless of who’s in control, the Republicans or the Democrats. As long as nepotism and cronyism continue to be the cornerstones of bureaucracy in the beltway, we will continue on this downward spiral. I’m tired of hearing all this rhetorical BS about, “Well, if this Dem was in or this Republican was in…” because it’s all talk.
I’m glad I’m on the way out of this Charlie-Foxtrot!

1shot1kill on August 28, 2007 at 1:19 pm

This is a perfect example of what we in the federal government call, “The Good ‘ole Boy Network.” The system our government changed to in the late 19th century was supposed to abolish that. Nobody wants to read resumes or take the time to interview. About 80% of government workers are former military so if a certain hiring authority has a position opening up and you have 2 candidates (1 very highly qualified, and 1 not so highly qualified but, good friends with the hiring authority) the good friend will end up getting the job…so much for best qualified man for the job.

RadicalRightWinger on August 28, 2007 at 4:50 pm

code7,
Found this today in an email, and it applies here very well:
A Veteran – whether active duty, retired, National Guard or Reserve – is someone who, at some point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America”, for an amount of “up to and including my life.”
That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
~ Author Unknown ~
Think about this the next time you want to put someone down for serving in the National Guard, feralcat.
EVS

EverVigilantSheepdog on August 28, 2007 at 7:42 pm

“Service to our country should never be minimized, and we shouldn’t ever allow someone to do so without calling them on it, even if they are just trying to be funny. Way to go. EVS”
So Kyle, do you consider yourself a public servant? I think public thief would be a more appropriate term. You live almost 100 miles from your post of duty in New Orleans. You abuse the trust placed in you by posting falsehoods and myths on this site while you are being paid to manage the SAC/New Orleans AOR. Shame on you and shame on Marcy Foreman for sponsoring this waste and mismanagement.

FingerEleven on August 28, 2007 at 9:25 pm

EVS,
The quote is right on point, you sign over a commitment to obey all lawful orders, they even give you a chance to make God the one giving the orders (conscientious objector). You volunteered, your number didn’t come up during a conflict, or you got assigned to France, that doesn’t say anything less about your commitment to serve, to me at least, maybe to the heroes at the young Dems’ convention it does, but what do I know.

code7 on August 28, 2007 at 11:53 pm

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