J.E. Dyer wrote, “But it’s increasingly clear that regardless of what Team Obama fails to do in foreign policy, it won’t be because of principle or priorities; it will be because of the ravenous, homework-eating dog that prowls the State Department.”
This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Franklin Roosevelt. Asked why he preferred using his own people, such as Harry Hopkins, to conduct foreign policy instead of working through the State Department, he replied, “Because using the State Department is like watching elephants mate. There’s a great deal of noise, everything of importance takes places at a very high level, and it’s two years before you see any results.”
Some things never change in Washington.
