Who is behind Bush economic policy?
Every Wednesday, some eight or nine officials meet in the Ward Room of the White House to discuss economic policy. The group is collegial in the extreme with not much disagreement about anything, but no great decisions are made or even pondered. Most of the policies have been set long ago, and the burden of the talk is how to implement them–especially how to sell the program to the nation and Congress. There are a surprisingly large number of officials present. In some past administrations, such meetings have been restricted to a “triumvirate” (heads of the Treasury, Budget and Council of Economic Advisers). Officials attending also are unexpectedly diverse. They range from the Vice President of the United States to Cabinet members to middle-level staffers. Vice President Cheney usually attends, and so does his chief-of-staff, Scooter Libby, and his economic aide, Keith Hennessy. White House Chief-of-Staff Andrew Card is not usually there, but newly anointed Deputy Chief-of-Staff Karl
