Secretary Strangelove, the 800 pound gorilla and The Committee that Runs the World

In this interesting and entertaining article David J. Rothkopf takes us inside the National Security Council. Rothkopf confirms much of what the MSM has led us to believe. Cheney, the 800 pound gorilla, provides the power and ideological drive of the administration. As Strangelove, Rumsfeld is of questionable competence and the “most ruthless man” around. But the pecking order isn't always clear:

But the obstacle that most frustrated Powell was one that was 30 years in the making: the Cheney-Rumsfeld partnership. As Cheney reportedly jokes, “When I look at Don Rumsfeld, I see a great secretary of defense. When Rumsfeld looks at me, he sees a former assistant to Don Rumsfeld.” Or, as another close friend of Cheney’s observed, “Sometimes when you see them together at a party, you’re not sure who is working for whom.”

The article lacks depth because it's meant as a teaser - the title, The Committee that Runs the World, is an obvious attention seeking ploy - for Rothkopf's upcoming book, Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power, from which it is drawn. He teases well, managing to refer to all of the major NSC contemporaries, without burdening us with detail. (It does seem however that he makes too much of Bush's faith: does Bush really think he's infallible? His claims that the NSC is dysfunctional are also less than persuasive.)

Nonetheless, well worth a look if for no reason other than its colourful quotes.