Time To Reinvent Government?

What do the evacuation of Afghanistan and the recent leak of secret documents have in common?

The managers of both military/security operations likely got their positions under the Trump administration.  Which means that there’s good reason to question their competence and their loyalties.  

Most of the world, including Democrats, seems to have forgotten that Trump implemented massive personnel changes during his tenure.  Rex Tillerson, his first Secretary of State, gutted the country’s diplomatic corps.  Political appointees in the Department of Justice allowed or encouraged myriad corrupt practices. There’s every reason to question the judgement of the civilian leadership of the Department of Defense.  And in the case of characters like Mike Flynn, the military leadership as well.

It doesn’t appear that the Biden administration has ever done top-to-bottom personnel reviews of the organizations in the Executive branch.  

It’s not too late to do so.  Security aside, prioritizing the efficiency and effectiveness of government could be a selling point for the administration going forward.  

For its security review, the administration should consider bringing in Chris Krebs, the Trump administration official who attested to the security of the 2022 election.  Retired Admiral William McRaven could oversee the outside security review.  General Stanley McChrystal, who also has bipartisan bona fides, could participate as well. This is also an opportunity to use the diplomatic expertise of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and publicly demonstrate that loyalty to the country will be rewarded.

Enlisting respectable Republicans and corporate leaders to join in the project would give it enhanced credibility and stature in the eyes of the public.

Whatever the administration does it should do quickly.  To gain the confidence of the American public, it has to inspire trust in our security apparatus and government operations in general.  Republicans are already jumping on every faux pas.  Biden and the Democrats can’t let this spiral out of control.