If Nominated, I Will Not Run…
I once joked, when such jokes were timely, that I was available for nomination to either Chairman of the Federal Reserve or Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. I am, of course, patently unqualified for either position.
Or maybe not:
Most of President George W. Bush’s nominees to the Federal Reserve have earned accolades from across the economic and political spectrums.And then there’s Kevin Warsh.
Bush’s nomination of the 35-year-old White House aide — a lawyer by training who would become one of only two members of the Fed’s seven-member board of governors without a Ph.D. in economics — has been greeted by criticism and bewilderment by some former Fed officials and economists. They point to his political connections and inexperience, and say the White House could have found a better-known, more qualified choice.
Mr. Warsh currently serves as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, managing domestic finance, capital markets and banking issues. He also serves as Executive Secretary for the National Economic Council. Prior to this, he served as Executive Director and Vice President for the Mergers and Acquisitions Department in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated. Mr. Warsh received his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and his JD from Harvard Law School.
Now despite having watched 4.5 seasons of “The West Wing,” I’m still not sure exactly what a “Special Assistant” does. Maybe it’s important — who knows? And I admit Brooklyn Law School (cum laude) is not Harvard Law School. But my investment banking credentials are comparable to Warsh’s. And I have an Ivy League M.A. in economics. And I’m a Chartered Financial Analyst. So I’m arguably less of a non-Ph.D. than Warsh. And I’m four years older — that should count for something.
Yup, I think the President should definitely have nominated me instead.
Oh, wait, I forgot — I didn’t give $104,000 to the Republican National Committee like Warsh’s father-in-law did.
Never mind.
Hat tip to Economist’s View. More thoughts from William J. Polley.
POP QUIZ: Who remarked, regarding the presidency: “If nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve.”? NO GOOGLING!
Similar Posts:
- Miers Nomination: The Greenspan Analogy
- Miers Nomination: The Counsel Conundrum
- As Long as You Want, As Long As It’s Long
- Why Hayden Must Not Be Confirmed
- Miers Ex-Nomination: Now What?
Filed under: Uncategorized
Regarding your question, it was likely a smart man who said that.
As for the Harvard Law Degree, well, last night a Harvard Law JD lost a bar bet to me on the issue of whether it was Copernicus or Kepler who advocated heliocentrism.
Suffice it to say I am even less impressed by HLS people than I am by HBS people.
FWIW, my father practiced antitrust and bankruptcy litigation for 25 years, and said he was always reluctant to hire HLS and YLS students because those schools didn't teach people how to be lawyers.
Lyndon Johnson
Don't worry; they don't want you for anything except White House intern.
Stock up on the cigars and go get your blue dress ironed.
LBJ said that in his address to the nation about not running for a second term.
Fascism — American Style
Another good example of cronyism is Kevin Warsh, who was recently appointed by GWB to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors…
William T Sherman is the source of the quote.
Looks like Tobe Googled. That is the answer you get when you google the quote. If you already know who said it you know that the T stands for Tecumseh.