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Bush: Not a CEO, Not a Director, Not a President

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October 27, 2004

Yesterday, in the business journal Compliance Week, former SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt proposed some guidelines for outside directors of companies.#[OD] Ironically, I think that his lessons about what an outsider can and should do are applicable to the presidency of the United States, particularly if you buy in to the theory of the "CEO President", as Mister W likes to be framed. Obviously, a CEO is an officer, and usually an inside director, but I believe that these rules apply equally to both kinds of directors.#[dir] Below, you'll find Pitt's pointers for potential directors, and my commentary as to whether I think the Bush has followed through on them. [OD]: For those who don't know, an outside director of a company is someone who is broad onto the board of directors without a prior connection--like being an employee--to the company. [dir]: Actually, the reason for the article in the first place--aside from Pitt's obligation to write a column each week--is that outside directors until recently were not held as closely responsible for the foibles of companies. This means that the rules really are meant to remind outside directors of the responsiblities of all directors. Here are some general guidelines for all directors to consider: 1. Understand your responsibilities. Being the President requires a balance of what Lyndon Johnson described as "guns and butter"; you have to match foreign affairs with domestic concerns. Bush has neglected, time and again, the domestic for the foreign affairs. If there is anyone who doubts this, consider the spectacular failure of our employment rates, our education of children, and the safety of this country. Why are we focused on foreign wars and democracies in other countries when we can barely police ourselves? Make no mistake, it is the precise opposite of safety from terror that we spend our time focusing abroad rather than internally. Bush does not understand this. 2. Monitor and assess corporate policies and procedures. In other words, there are rules that you must set, and rules you must follow, no matter how far up you are, and when things break down below you, it is not to be shuffled off on someone else--like Herr Ashcroft--but to be accepted as your responsibility. Yet we have a President who cannot recall a single mistake he'd ever made. 3. Understand the requirements and obligations associated with being a director. Guess what? The President doesn't understand that he cannot act as he would on his ranch in Texas. He has obligations to be a statesman, not just a commander-in-chief; the principal American, rather than the only American. He acts as if it is only his will that matters. For that matter, he is required to remember that, despite his belief that God called him to the job, he has a responsiblity to listen to and respond to the American people. And all that I have seen is a stubborn resistance to that call. 4. Assure the existence of effective delegation of oversight responsibilities. I don't trust John Ashcroft; even if you believe his policies, the fact that Bush sends him out and then cuts him down so as not to seem so bad suggests ineffective delegation. 5. Avoid constituency dictates. Stop listening to the Religious Right. Stop listening to the homophobes. Stop listening to any one group that got you where you are and start leading a country towards unity. Start doing what is best for the country. 6. Learn the business of the corporation. Does anyone else get the feeling that in the Bush Administration, one hand hasn't a clue as to what the other is doing? Shouldn't the guy at the top know it all? Does anyone really believe that he has even more than the slightest gloss on the facts of the US economy, even though he is theoretically an MBA holder? 7. Know where the company and its competitors stand. Maybe Bush is aware of this, but I'm convinced that he takes the stance of "competitor" or rival countries and twists them in his mind so as to make the best of himself. Nevertheless, I don't believe that he knows where this country stands, ethically, politically, spiritually, legally, or otherwise. 8. Make compliance and ethics programs a priority. People don't listen to Bush in his own administration. 9. Assess risk and fortify internal controls. Do you feel safer when you walk through airport security? Me either. 10. Be prepared. 9/11 11. Ask questions. Bush takes everything on faith, and asks surprisingly few questions. 12. Understand alternatives. Is there a man more committed to a black-and-white worldview than W? 13. Be committed. This means to commitment to the general purpose, not to some single point. Bush is very stubborn. Unless you go to think about his recent thoughts on winning the war on terror, children being left behind, or just about anything else he claims to believe. 14. Be direct. What's that in your suit, Mister President? Where are the WMDs? What happened to my job? No answers? Hmm. 15. Keep up. Given how much time he spends on his ranch, is there any doubt he's way behind? 16. Ensure that you have adequate resources at your disposal. Oh, I know, we're losing money, so I'll just give money away, and then I'll spend it on a war that I underfunded. Double Oops. 17. It’s important not only to do the right thing, but to be able to prove that you did the right thing. This is a man not believing in--in fact mocking--the concept of a global test that he simply doesn't understand. It's very simple, Mr. Bush--you have to be able to demonstrate that you did the right thing. That's it. That's the whole test. At any rate, it should be no surprise that I plan on voting for Kerry. I believe he has every single one of these rules not just understood, but ingrained in his very person.

This was Politics and Serious , and it appeared on October 27, 2004 10:23 PM.

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