Kevin Drum buries the myth of the CEO president.
[ . . . ] weak CEOs are unwilling to recognize bad news and perform unpleasant tasks to fix it — tasks like confronting poorly performing subordinates or firing people. Good CEOs suck in their guts and do it anyway.
George Bush is, fundamentally, a mediocre CEO, the kind of insulated leader who’s convinced that his instincts are all he needs. Unfortunately, like many failed CEOs before him, he’s about to learn that being sure you’re right isn’t the same thing as actually being right.
We had an experienced CEO at the Treasury but he was guilty of the unpardonable sin of thinking for himself. The only other executive type I’m aware of is the veep and his record of public vs private sector experience is mixed, to say the least.