President Obama attempts to micromanage Senator John McCain.
The Wall Street Journal ran a piece today wondering if the president is a micromanager. Noam Scheiber neatly explains that all the evidence in the piece points to the fact "that Obama is adamant about staying well-informed, not about micromanaging." But I think the greater point is made by historian Robert Dallek:Robert Dallek, a presidential biographer, says Mr. Obama's approach will be judged on the success of his policies. "If the economy makes a great comeback, people will say he had a grasp not only of the detail but of the broader picture," he says. "If the economy doesn't make a comeback, some of the same knocks laid on Carter could be laid on Barack Obama."That's about right --the ultimate success or failure of his policies will by far be the determining factor in how we interpret Obama's governing style. On a related note, I'm doing my best not to make any "first MBA President" jokes. Maybe management isn't everything; judgement and vision count as well.
-- Tim Fernholz
