The NY Times Gets the New Treasury Pick Wrong, and Reveals Its Paranoia in the Process
The New Times’ prediction for who would be the next Treasury Secretary to replace the departing John Snow totally blew up — They predicted it would be former Commerce Secretary Don Evans.
OK, everybody makes mistakes, but its’ teh premise of this one that’s so remarkable (HTs Don Luskin and TimesWatch via “S.O.B.er” Porkopolis):
…That Mr. Evans is even being considered underscores the shift in focus of the search from Wall Street outsiders to Bush insiders. …Administration allies said that senior officials had made overtures to prominent executives on Wall Street, including Henry M. Paulson Jr., the chairman of Goldman Sachs.
…But Mr. Paulson and other executives expressed little interest in taking the post, in part because neither Mr. Snow nor his predecessor, Paul H. O’Neill, had any substantial role in shaping economic policy.
The real power to set priorities, whether it was cutting taxes in 2001 and 2003 or the failed effort to overhaul Social Security in 2005, has always been held by a small circle of advisers in the White House, including Vice President Dick Cheney.
This would seem to indicate that The Times needs to admit that this Cheney-led cabal, this “small circle of advisers” (implication: operating in the dark, beyond the reach of accountability, cooking up sinister plans to ruin us all) doesn’t set economic priorities — otherwise Paulson, according to Times’ own reporting, would not have taken the job. Don’t buy tomorrow’s paper expecting to see that admission.
I concur the NYT blew their coverage of this story, but it also appears that the White House blew this selection. This guy, Paulson, seems like a real shaky choice. He is apparently overly influenced by the enviro-wacko’s. Additionally, he has made donations to the pro-abortion group Emily’s list.
Comment by LargeBill — May 30, 2006 @ 3:32 pm
Ouch. If there’s good news in that, Treasury may be the best place for him to do no damage.
That logic didn’t work for Jeanette Bradley in OH though, did it?
Comment by TBlumer — May 30, 2006 @ 3:42 pm
it says a lot about this man to give up his current job to become a govt employee. good luck to you sir.
Comment by Ben Keeler — May 31, 2006 @ 12:06 am