I learned a new word today

Image via Wikipedia

I learned a new word thanks to my soon to be daughter-in-law Leslie - Homunculi. It means small men. Although, in this use of the word, I think the author is referring to Richter's use of the term to describe a politically appointed "Praise Monkey".

His lacklustre attorney-general Alberto Gonzales, who was forced to resign in disgrace, was only the most visible of an army of over-promoted, ideologically vetted homunculi.

The quote comes from the Economist article The frat boy ships out. It is an outstanding assessment of a failed presidency.

Image via WikipediaLack of curiosity also led Mr Bush to suspect intellectuals in general and academic experts in particular. David Frum, who wrote speeches for Mr Bush during his first term, noted that “conspicuous intelligence seemed actively unwelcome in the Bush White House”. The Bush cabinet was “solid and reliable”, but contained no “really high-powered brains”. Karen Hughes, one of his closest advisers, “rarely read books and distrusted people who did”. Ron Suskind, a journalist, has argued that Mr Bush created a “faith-based presidency” in which decisions, precisely because they were based on faith, could not be revised subsequently.

Two days to go…

Technorati tags: Bush, Politics