Kerik Bear Stare!

The announcement of Kerik to head DHS we've seen a lot of different reactions. Funny enough that one of the main justifications is that he "brings 9/11 symbolism into the Cabinet." First, the hilariously vitriolic! (Thx to Kaus) The gist: Kerik is a sycophantic unqualified errand boy who might, in fact, be a complete crook! Also, there's the skeptical, and guarded that it's a big big challenging department for anyone, especially someone with not a lot of management experience and who may or may not mostly have gotten this because Guiliani called in a favor. (DHS isn't just challenging, it's really an expensive mess, as this organization chart shows at its creation). Aside from that there are the two pieces in Slate: a glowing one by Carter and a hatchet job by Kaplan. Carter basically states that Homeland Security is all about first responders, and Kerik will know how to shake things up and organize the department to serve first responders best. Kaplan argues that Kerik owes everything to his close relationship with Guiliani, isn't too qualified, and doesn't have a lot to boast about when it comes to his three months and change stint as running the Iraqi Police.

When examining all of this, I think I would rather stick with a guarded or skeptical posture. It's true the man was a veteran beat cop, but also a high school dropout. Ahhh, the follies of youth. Seems to be a recurring theme in the Bush Administration. For one the performance of the Iraqi police has been very mixed, in some instances they've fought with extreme bravery and in other instances they've turned out to be moles and joined the insurgency. If anything, they're constantly seen as ill-trained and ill-equipped. Also, the fact that Kerik was only involved with them for around three months to me doesn't make it look like it was much of an experience at all. Who learns anything in three months? What managers really make an impact at all in three months? The man was only NYPD Commissioner for a little over a year, though late 2001 should probably count as an extra year all in its own.

But there is the powerful argument Carter puts forth. No one knows better what it's like on the ground than someone who was a beat cop and a police commissioner for any amount of time. That's valuable experience that no pure politician would've brought to the DHS job. So, in the end, Kerik turns out a mixed figure. He has qualifications that might make him a good DHS Secretary, but not a lot of qualifications and a large number of question marks in his records as a manager. If anything, I find him a hard choice to swallow just because DHS Secretary is probably one of the most mammothly important jobs in the country and this should be about hiring one of the best managers anyone could find, not the best Kerry-basher and most symbolic one. I, myself, would've preferred Guiliani, not his bodyguard.