Demagogue

After originally opposing the creation of a new cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security, President Bush soon saw the handwriting on the wall and fell in line.

In July 2002, Bush gave this speech in which he urged Congress to approve a DHS bill that gave department administrators "flexibility" -- waving numerous due-process protections that existed for other federal employees:

... as Congress debates the issue of how to set up this department, I'm confident they're going to look to me to say, well, is it being done right, after they got the bill passed. And, therefore, it is important that we have the managerial flexibility to get the job done right. We can't be -- we can't be micro-managed.

We ought to say, let's make sure authority and responsibility are aligned so they can more adequately protect the homeland.

Now, look, I fully understand the concerns of some of the unions here in Washington. Somehow, they believe that this is an attempt by the administration to undermine the basic rights of workers.

I reject that, as strongly as I can state it. I have great respect for the federal employees. I travel the country as one of them, talking about how we need to work together to protect the homeland .... I've gone to Coast Guard cutters or gone to ports of authority .... many of whom happen to be a member of the union .... I've always said, thanks for being a proud American and for working hard for the American people.

So the notion of flexibility will in no way undermine the basic rights of federal workers.

No, of course not. Well, as today's Washington Post reports, the administration will be asking Congress for more "flexibility," effectively discarding civil service protections and giving political appointees in the various departments unprecedented leverage in deciding who gets promotions or payraises:

The Bush administration unveiled a new personnel system for the Department of Homeland Security yesterday that will dramatically change the way workers are paid, promoted, deployed and disciplined -- and soon the White House will ask Congress to grant all federal agencies similar authority to rewrite civil service rules governing their employees.

The new system will replace the half-century-old General Schedule, with its familiar 15 pay grades and raises based on time in a job, and install a system that more directly bases pay on occupation and annual performance evaluations ...

A raise or promotion -- moving up in a pay range or rising to the next one -- will depend on receiving a satisfactory performance rating from a supervisor ...

It's not clear whether these supervisors would be non-political/career employees or Bush political appointees, but if most of them are the latter, this raises the serious potential for political favoritism.

The Bushies have already rated reporters on the basis of how favorably they write about the No Child Left Behind law. This may be the logical next step for this administration -- rating rank-and-file employees on the basis of how loyally they embrace and carry out the Bush agenda.