Cool, Kinda

A few days ago Slate's Fred Kaplan asked readers to nominate their choices for Secretary of Homeland Security. Despite my usually scathing comments about DHS, I kinda actually think it's a fundamentally good idea that could, in the right hands and with the right support, do a lot of good for the country. It's just that the chances of those circumstances materializing in this administration are rather low.

So I made a serious nomination, one based on Kaplan's premise: DHS does not need a political star or law enforcement agent, it needs a manager. But unlike a lot of people, I think there are plenty of non business organizations that have good, effective managers. The mission in government, unlike business, is not to save costs and increase profit. The mission in government is to use funds efficiently to accomplish specific goals. So non profit might actually be a better place to look, and while Kaplan, naturally, didn't actually credit me, he did mention my nominee: Several intriguing candidates received one or two votes: Marsha Johnson Evans, a retired Navy admiral and the head of the American Red Cross; Carly Fiorina, chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard; Lou Gerstner,* former CEO and chairman of IBM; Jamie Dimon, president of JPMorgan Chase; and Ken Feinberg, former head of the 9/11 Victims' Compensation Fund. Emphases mine--Marsha Evans, of course, was my pick. I have to say, I'd even go with the Jack Welch nomination that was most popular.

All for naught--the president has chosen Michael Chertoff, U.S. Appeals Court Judge (presumably a Bush pick picks) who previously was an Assistant Attorney General under Ashcroft. Let's see how he works out--I'll try to be hopeful.