Their complaints about the lack of robust internal debate echo conclusions of some presidential scholars who study White House decision-making.

"George Bush tends to make decisions on the basis of hunch and intuition, and then pulls together groups that confirm his decisions," said Paul Light, director of the Center for Public Service at the Brookings Institution, a center-left research center. "The only people who are invited to be on the team are people who agree with him."

Bush's management style reflects his personality. He is action-oriented, impatient and intolerant of lengthy briefings and long debates. He often cites the importance of "instincts" in making decisions."

"To be sure, there have been some intense policy disagreements in the top ranks of the administration.

"O'Neill and Christie Whitman, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, joined forces against Vice President Dick Cheney in pushing for a more aggressive approach to global warming."

They're both gone, and the Administration again has it's head up it's ass on this one.

I guess the gist of it is that he looks for syncophants and toadies, knows without learning, and operates on "intuition and hunch".

Or he trusts like-minded people, and doesn't trust that which conflicts with what his hunches tell him.

And look at the mess.

Arf