There are times when filling the less visible, low-marquis-value vacancies tell more about a leader's judgment than more prominent selections for his high profile cabinet. The Obama selection of Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel for the executive branch supplies one such time. It sends a signal of an executive branch poised to be hesitant, anemic, tentative, self-limiting, and more inclined to dithering that action when the hour of crisis arrives. Mark this down as a moment for intense scrutiny and debate that will form a chapter in some eventual successor to the present 9/11 Commission Report. In placing the activist, executive-hobbling, and sanctimonious academic, Johnsen, at the head of the office that is supposed to defend the executive branch in its legal tugs of war with the legislative and judicial branches, Obama has hobbled himself. Instead of carrying forward the robust dynamic tension which the founding fathers felt necessary for sustaining a balance of power among the three branches, Mr. Obama has entered this fray limping and apologetic. Having bought himself a crutch, he seems about to break his leg in order to get full use of it.
This is discouraging news for homeland security. Starting an administration faced with seemingly limitless challenges is no small undertaking. One of those challenges is to deter adventurism and cutthroat initiative on the part of adversaries. This is best done through presenting a consistent image of strength and just enough of a hint of menace to suggest that villains who dare to attack would definitely end up worse off than they started. One does not achieve this end by elevating an inveterate and emotive second-guesser to a position where she can spay and neuter every executive branch dog before it enters the fight. And this is precisely what Ms. Johnsen will do. Her programming makes it inevitable. So now, when Sheriff Obama one day decides to pin on his star in the morning and clean up the saloon in Dodge City where the cow hands are mixing whisky and weapons, he will have to first take certain steps.
1. He will have to see Judge Johnsen for his gun.
2. He will have to show cause why she should let him have the gun at all.
3. Ditto for each bullet to go with the gun.
4. If Judge J disagrees or wants to deliberate, Sheriff O cannot even approach the saloon unarmed until she has had a chance to puzzle the matter out.
5. If the saloon ends up burned to the ground and its owner and bartender shot dead, well, that's the price Dodge will have to pay for its civilized self restraint.
But don't take my word for this. See what the Wall Street Journal says on the matter ( http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123154838577269937.html.)
- Nick Catrantzos
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Nick Catrantzos + Tom Goff
- All Secure
- NICK CATRANTZOS is the lead author of the All Secure website and is the emeritus security director for a large public organization. He has also managed security aspects of corporate takeovers, response to international hostage situations, and finding and keeping secrets. He has been board certified in security management, licensed as a private investigator, and certified as an incident commander. He worked as a case officer for a discreet branch of public service. He protected stealth technology at Lockheed and, later, as a consulting security director for both Kroll and Control Risks, he assisted executives with workplace violence cases and with protecting VIPs and critical assets globally in volatile areas. Nick's partner, TOM GOFF, was a captain in the Military Police Corps, U.S. Army Reserve and has a law degree from the University of California at Davis. He is a former reporter for Fortune Magazine, was senior editor at New York Magazine and Esquire, and has provided crisis and communications counsel to senior executives at Fortune 500 companies, including Lockheed, ARCO, Microsoft, Nissan, and Sony Pictures.