Breakin' the rules...

Atrios reminds us of the Rummy Rules for old times sake... however, it looks like there are a slew of new and current appointees (including Rummy) who are breaking a few key rules:

Don't accept the post or stay unless you have an understanding with the president that you're free to tell him what you think "with the bark off" and you have the courage to do it.

The price of being close to the president is delivering bad news. You fail him if you don't tell him the truth. Others won't do it.

You and the White House staff must be and be seen to be above suspicion. Set the right example.

Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.

Remember the public trust. Strive to preserve and enhance the integrity of the office of the presidency. Pledge to leave it stronger than when you came.

Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the president and do wonders for your performance. [That's a biggie for Rumsfeld right now...]

Your performance depends on your people. Select the best, train them, and back them. When errors occur, give sharper guidance. If errors persist or if the fit feels wrong, help them move on. The country cannot afford amateur hour in the White House.

You will launch many projects but have time to finish only a few. So think, plan, develop, launch and tap good people to be responsible. Give them authority and hold them accountable. Trying to do too much yourself creates a bottleneck.

Think ahead. Don't let day-to-day operations drive out planning.

A president needs multiple sources of information. Avoid excessively restricting the flow of paper, people, or ideas to the president, though you must watch his time. If you overcontrol, it will be your "regulator" that controls, not his. Only by opening the spigot fairly wide, risking that some of his time may be wasted, can his "regulator" take control.

Don't allow people to be excluded from a meeting or denied an opportunity to express their views because their views differ from the president's views, the views of person who calls the meeting, or your views. The staff system must have integrity and discipline.

When the president is faced with a decision, be sure he has the recommendations of all appropriate people, or that he realizes he does not have their views and is willing to accept the consequence. They will be out of sync, unhappy and less effective if they feel they are or are seen as having been "cut out."

Test ideas in the marketplace. You learn from hearing a range of perspectives. Consultation helps engender the support decisions need to be successfully implemented.

All those, and I only got through about half the editorial... geez...