Watch the growth of middle level management. Don’t automatically fill vacant jobs. Leave some positions unfilled for 6-8 months to see what happens. You will find you won’t need to fill some of them.
When someone with a rural accent says, “I don’t know much about politics,” zip up your pockets.
From where you sit, the White House may look as untidy as the inside of a stomach. As is said of the legislative process, sausage-making and policy-making shouldn’t be seen close-up. Don’t let that panic you. Things may be going better than they look from the inside.
If you look ahead 10 years, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the people of Russia had become fans of missile defence.
One of your tasks is to separate the ‘personal’ from the ‘substantive.’ The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong.
I don’t believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.
Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.
The absence of evidence is not necessarily the evidence of absence.
If you develop rules, never have more than ten.
I stand for 8-10 hours a day. Why is standing limited to four hours?
The worst thing you can do is allow a coalition to determine what your mission is.
When starting at the bottom, be willing to learn from those at the top.
Those who made the decisions with imperfect knowledge will be judged in hindsight by those with considerably more information at their disposal and time for reflection.
Oh, Lord. I didn’t mean to say anything quotable.
Preserve the President’s options. He may need them.
Presidential leadership needn’t always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.
Prune – prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.
Public servants are paid to serve the American people. Do it well.
Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers – they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.
The price of being close to the President is delivering bad news. You fail him if you don’t tell him the truth. Others won’t do it.