...and that, was maybe his second mistake (his first, was his refusal to investigate the Klintoons Scandals...Chinagate, insertname_gate).....
“Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P.J.O’Rourke
Posted on 12/30/2008 6:33:51 PM PST by BGHater
Despite keeping Defense Secretary Robert Gates in the Pentagon, President-elect Obama’s transition team informed 90 Bush appointees their services will not be needed after Inauguration Day.
Scott Gration, a senior official on Obama’s transition team, called and emailed several of President Bush’s Pentagon appointees about 10 days ago to inform them they were being dismissed.
Those calls and emails were followed up by an email from Jim O'Beirne, the special assistant to the secretary of defense for White House liaisons, who expressed exasperation that Gration informed the employees directly instead of letting O'Beirne's office know first.
"With regard to the process, I am unable to provide an explanation," O'Beirne wrote on Tuesday in the email, which was obtained by The Hill. "I played no part in it, and I will not speculate why matters were handled as they were."
A spokesman for the Pentagon said Gates was "absolutely satisfied" with the way the transition was handled.
Gates "is sensitive to the fact that a number of appointees will not be able to stay on after [Jan.] 20th," Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell said. He noted Gates did request many appointees stay on and the "Obama team was able to cooperate."
But O'Beirne made it clear in the email that in some cases of dismissal, he thinks the employee's politics played a role in their being let go.
O'Beirne said that Gates had "sought to keep virtually his entire team in place pending the availability of Obama replacements."
Out of roughly 250 political appointees, 90 were dismissed.
"Whatever negotiations occurred in pursuit of that goal, the Gration notifications evidently reflected the results of those efforts," O'Beirne wrote.
Traditionally political appointees resign at the end of a president’s term, leaving the new commander in chief to put his own team in place but with Gates staying in the top Pentagon job there was reason to believe many of his staff would also stay.
The Obama team noted that a majority of the political appointees will remain in place.
"Given that our nation is at war, we have asked several political appointees at the Department of Defense to stay in their jobs past January 20th to help ensure a smooth transition. We are grateful for the cooperation and professionalism of the men and women at the Department of Defense in support of our men and women in uniform," an Obama transition official said.
Bush has repeatedly stated that he wanted to see an orderly transition to ensure that the next president would hit the ground running at a time when the country is fighting two wars and weathering one of the most significant economic crises in modern times.
Until now, that process seemed to be going smoothly as a number of departments have reported efficient and even cordial working relationships between Bush appointees and transition officials. The holiday Pentagon dismissals appear to be the first breakdown.
In the email, O'Beirne tried to assure the soon-to-be displaced employees that the decisions were based on "policy change in the Obama administration" and not based on performance.
However, he said, if employees "harbor residual doubts" then they can "content yourself with the likelihood that it was your outstanding performance as a Bush appointee that drew the opposition's attention to you."
"In that regard, you may take justifiable satisfaction that you were among the first to be chosen," O'Beirne wrote.
Other reasons O'Beirne cited for employees' dismissal were "politics, matter of policy and availability of qualified replacements and the strength of the permanent career and uniformed staffs."
Morrell, a political appointee who is staying at the Pentagon, noted that while O'Beirne is usually the liaison for political appointees Gates chief of staff Robert Rangel has taken over that role. Rangel is also staying on.
"Jim has had to defer many of the things he could normally respond to," Morrell said as a possible explanation for the email.
Gates needs to have a change of heart and resign, immediately. No self respecting man should work for, or support, this filthy freak and his criminal enterprise.
I will keep my eye on you, comrade.
Bet me a Buffalo Nickel that there was a “hit list” of sorts that included DOD personnel with close ties to Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld, and that’s largely who these 90 were...
Gration sounds (and apparently acts) like a real ass-hat.
The Clinton military. Deja vous all over again.
SNIP
According to Pentagon officials, the problem was that Obama's request to visit Landstuhl included two members of his campaign staff -- retired Major General Jonathan S. Gration and Jeff Kiernan. US military officials in Germany informed the campaign the two political operatives would not be permitted on base.
Pentagon officials say Gration was the campaign's point of contact at Landstuhl in arranging Obama's visit and "got torqued" when he was told he would not be permitted to join Obama. It was Gration who later suggested to reporters that the Pentagon short-circuited Obama's visit.
Are there some in the Pentagon or military resentful because Gration has climbed on board the Obama campaign? Did Gration overreact? As a former policy director for the US European Command, he would surely be disappointed -- if not offended -- by being excluded from the visit. It's also been my experience that even retired generals do not want to hear the word "no."
SNIP
“Bush’s transition was delayed due to Al Gore’s contesting of the Florida returns. A willing Bill Clinton refused to release transition funds until late December of 2000.”
You forgot they had to order new keyboards. The Clintoon people swiped all of the “W”s. LOL
The night of the long knives has begun!
Elections have consequences. These are political appointee jobs and normally ALL are replaced. Very likey the Dem ranks aren’t overflowing with political types whose military experience can fill the remaining slots any time soon. (remember WHO got shunted off from the White House to the Pentagon? THAT is the Dems idea of a Pengagon politcal appointee)
You need your eyes checked there, Shortcake.
but I am very clever
...and that, was maybe his second mistake (his first, was his refusal to investigate the Klintoons Scandals...Chinagate, insertname_gate).....
with < than four score and twenty years behind, I have been in a position to witness and learn many things, and although the ol’ grey matter lets me down on some names and dates from time to time,the Commie stuff remains clear.
I hear there's a whole bunch of people planning to do just that. It'll be deliciously (and maliciously) ironic if Obama has to bring back the draft.
Care to explain your reasoning?
Perhaps, and while that would be honorable, it’s temporary. The Freak is going to dump all over Gates before this is over. Or, Gates will wait too long and be covered with the Freaks stench.
I believe Gates is a good man, I would want him to leave on a win, and I don’t trust that Thing any further than I can throw the White House he and his beast are about to contaminate.
I think I am now going to go watch a John Wayne movie. ;>)
In part, but getting reasonably competant people working for the government was another. But, as usual, they overdid it, and made it *almost* impossible to fire a Civil Servant.
Does this surprise anyone, really? I thought it was SOP for political appointees to tender their resignation to the new President.
These people knew they were gone. This is not a shock.
This aint softball people. Its hardball. Its hardball when the Republicans come in, and it hardball on the way out.
We complain about how soft America has become. Take a look around. Many of the posts sound like my 15 year old, telling me, “Thats not fair.”
Grow up. Its called being the winner. We should take notes and make sure we are doing the same thing next time.
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