How does the Cabinet fit into policy-making?
Card: The president drives policy, and he should be driving the policy. [Cabinet members] are advisers. They provide an awful lot of policy input. There are an awful lot of decisions that are made by the Cabinet. Many of the tactical decisions might come from a Cabinet agency, in consultation with the White House. Regulations are the best example. NJ: How do the White House policy councils fit in? Card: The four policy councils are Domestic Policy, National Security, National Economic Policy, and Homeland Security, and every Cabinet member is a member of one of the four, and many are members of several. The president is the chair of each. When there are disputes – and there frequently are – if they can’t be resolved by acquiescence, the president frequently has to make the call. Any White House tends to believe that we can do whatever it is that we can do without going outside this building [chuckles], and that is so wrong. And yet, it’s kind of natural, as you’re running around dealin
