By COLIN CLARK
WASHINGTON: While the DC parlor game of musical chairs gathers steam (see headline), some outlines of how President Donald Trump will govern are emerging. Look for two principles to govern much of how Trump initially manages the fundamental truth that people are policy.
First, strong deputies will be chosen to ensure mistakes aren’t made and things get done. Loyal politicians will hold the top jobs, even if they possess scant experience actually running anything larger than a Senate office.
The corollary to that is that Trump will practice what one Trump wag dubbed “performance-based loyalty.” What does this mean, you ask? The example was offered of President Johnson’s first meeting with President Kennedy’s Cabinet after he arrived back from that terrible day in Dallas. Johnson, our source says, told them that whenever they did a good job Johnson would claim credit for it. If they screwed up, he’d fire them. This would be a stark contrast to the most recent Bush administration, when President Bush seemed paralyzed by loyalty at times. For example, most Pentagon watchers believe Donald Rumsfeld should have been eased out of the building a year or more before he finally was pushed out.
Of course, these principles are not immutable. They almost certainly will not hold 18 months or so from now when, as old Washington hands know, the first major scandals, mistakes and external changes will force the Trump Administration to make major readjustments to people and practices.
In the meantime, let’s look at the Pentagon Talent pool (get it?) Trump plans to build. Our source is a national security advisor to the Trump campaign:
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