Obama's August 31st speech on Syria - and the people who helped shape it

Click for a transcript here.

In order to get a head start at a look at the White House Staff - which we will cover when we look at the section on Presidential Power - let's look at some of the people responsible for gathering the information contained in the speech.

The National Security Council: This group was created in the same piece of legislation that created the Department of Defense, among other things: "the function of the Council has been to advise and assist the president on national security and foreign policies. The Council also serves as the president's principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies."
- Click here for the White House page on the NSC

Some relevant news items:

Here's a look at the internal debate within the council about whether to strike against Syria, and whether to ask Congress for authorization.Here's a look at the NSC's attempt to brief members of Congress - especially the members of the House and Senate Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees.

The NYT has links to past stories involving the NSC.

The National Security Advisor is the primary advisor to the president on security affairs and heads the NSC's staff - which collects the information and conducts the research that forms the basis for the advice sent to the president.

- Here's a wayback look at the NSC staff during the Clinton years.

Something to file away for later use: The NSC is just one of the may advisory institutions which allow presidents to manage the multiple functions carried out by the executive branch. More on this in a few weeks, but its useful right now in order to figure our where the president is getting the information that suggests that a tactical strike against Syria is the right thing to do in response to the  recent chemical attack.  

Obama appoints Susan Rice as national security adviser

From the NYT:

President Obama announced on Wednesday afternoon that Susan E. Rice, the American ambassador to the United Nations, would replace Tom Donilon, who is resigning, as national security adviser in a major shakeup of his foreign-policy inner circle.

The appointment, which Mr. Obama made in a Rose Garden ceremony, puts Ms. Rice, 48, an outspoken diplomat and a close political ally, at the heart of the administration’s foreign-policy apparatus.

It is also a defiant gesture to Republicans who harshly criticized Ms. Rice for presenting an erroneous account of the deadly attacks on the American mission in Benghazi, Libya. The post of national security adviser, while powerful, does not require Senate confirmation.

Mr. Obama also named Samantha Power, a National Security Council official, as Ms. Rice’s replacement at the United Nations. Ms. Power, who has written extensively about genocide, is closely allied with Ms. Rice on human rights issues.

What is the national security adviser?

. . . a senior official in the Executive Office of the President who serves as the chief advisor, stationed in the White House, to the President of the United States on national security issues. This person also participates in the meetings of the National Security Council. The National Security Advisor's office is located in the West Wing of the White House. He or she is supported by the National Security Council staff that produces research, briefings, and intelligence for the APNSA to review and present either to the National Security Council or directly to the President.

History of the National Security Council.

What does the National Security Adviser Do Exactly?

This isn't the most flattering portrayal of the recently resigned Jim Jones, but it helps us understand the role the position plays -- or can play -- within a presidential administration.

National Security Advisor Steps Down

More transitions in the White House Staff:

President Obama announced on Friday that Gen. James L. Jones, the national security adviser, had resigned and will be replaced by Thomas E. Donilon, the principal deputy national security adviser.

In addition to directly advising the president, the NSA sits on the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President.

- Wikipedia: National Security Advisor.
- Wikipedia: Thomas Donilon.

Kaplan Loves James Jones

He argues that the new National Security Adviser will be well suited to ensure that the White House will be able to effectively control foreign policy, that is, to coordinate the State and Defense Departments -- a task often beyond the ability of previous presidents:

...he knows the ins, outs, back alleys, and dark closets of the national-security realm.

His former colleagues use the same words to describe him: very smart, very organized, methodical, deliberate. It may be telling that Obama has been seeking advice lately from two other generals who served as national-security advisers: Colin Powell and Brent Scowcroft. Anthony Zinni, a retired Marine general who's known Jones for 30 years and followed a similar career path, told me in an e-mail that he sees Jones as "a Scowcroft type of NSA," elaborating, "He works hard to build consensus and has a lot of patience. He doesn't like to seek confrontation but won't shrink from a fight. … He doesn't seek the limelight but will be the hand behind keeping things on track and focused."
Kaplan goes on to argue why Jones will be an improvement over Condoleeza Rice, Bush's first National Security Adviser:

"On track and focused" is precisely where George W. Bush failed to keep things, especially in his first six years (that is, until Robert Gates replaced Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon). As a result, policies drifted, information was suppressed, dissenting views were circumvented, and, sometimes, decisions made by the National Security Council were simply ignored or surreptitiously overruled. (For one crucial instance, click here; for others, read some of these books.)

Rumsfeld in particular was able to get away with this high-handedness—at one point, to prevent a decision from being made, he simply didn't show up for three consecutive NSC meetings—in part because Condoleezza Rice, Bush's first-term national-security adviser, was a weak manager; Rumsfeld, a veteran infighter, ran circles around her; and Bush, a lackadaisical president in this respect, declined to rein him in.

This sort of manipulation and chaos, it's safe to bet, won't be countenanced by Gen. Jones.