An eminence grise exists because there is a gap in leadership. During the George W. Bush administration, for instance, it is understood by many that Vice-President Richard Cheney was the source of policy in the absence of strong leadership by President Bush. Whether that was as true as his critics claim or not, the perception was clear. It would be difficult to eliminate that understanding.
Just thinking about this brought me to the current administration. It would be a natural thing to ask 'Who is the eminence grise, the power behind the throne of President Obama?' I don’t get the sense that anyone speaks for Barack Obama.
The President has surrounded himself with such people as Hillary Clinton, Rahm Emanuel, Nancy Pelosi, and Timothy Geitner. Just let those names roll off your tongue. They, and dozens of others like them, have huge amounts of power in the specific environments where they function. But the operative question is, does any one of these people have the ability to speak for the President or unduly influence him in the creation of policy? I think not. He is a strong, intelligent man with more than a sufficient quantity of self-determination.
That is not to say that The President cannot be influenced. I am convinced that Timothy Geitner and his finance gurus have done a huge amount of teaching and lobbying for decisions over the past year. It would be ludicrous to think that Secretary of State Clinton has not exercised some pressure on the President to develop a perspective on foreign policy which reflects her opinions. Is there anyone who believes that Rahm Emmanuel has not made known to the President some thoughts about governance of the country? And clearly, Nancy Pelosi has run the legislative process with a limited amount of restraint from the White House. But that is not the same thing as being “the power behind the throne.” Those people, whether we like them or agree with them or not, are doing what they were asked to do. And they do it well.
I suspect we might be surprised to know how much influence Vice-President Biden has on the President. He is cast by the media as a bungling, cartoonish character. But he is a wise and knowledgeable diplomat in the area of foreign policy. I suspect his influence is much greater than we might think.
I will risk a little and say that I think Michelle Obama has a significant influence on the decision-making of the President. He respects her intelligence and she certainly has access to him. Pillow talk can be powerful, and I would not begin to imagine that her engagement in pillow talk about issues facing the President has not been influential.
Overall, however, I am confident that the President of the United States, Barack Obama, is a man who establishes the bottom line. I think that is why he is not prone to quick, knee-jerk reactions. He is criticized for taking time to bring forth decisions. Not by me. I suspect that this “lag time” is the opportunity for him to talk in depth with his advisors, weigh their input, and develop a decision that is clear, and that he can promote without hesitation.
I suspect also that at the present time there is no one “behind the throne” who fills the definition of eminence grise.
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