It came to me as I was listening to John Meacham eulogize Herbert Walker Bush. Meacham explained that in his tours of duty in the corridors of power in Washington and elsewhere, Bush learned to appreciate the depth of knowledge of the people in the bureaus working under him. More often that not he followed their advise.
His negative attitude towards Israel can now be easily understood. The State Department has forever exhibited a negative attitude towards Israel. James Baker, working under Bush, famously said that if the Israelis wanted to speak to him, "here's my phone number." He had no intention of calling them.
Bureaucracies are not only good at gathering facts, they also come to conclusions that are not always correct. This applies to all bureaucracies, whether the State Dept, the CIA, or the FBI. When I mention these various departments, I don't mean the lower level people working at street level, but rather those few at the top who have managed to get themselves promoted to the upper levels.
It is these upper level bureaucrats to whom Bush paid special attention. In economic matters, it was what probably made him a one-term president despite his elegant manners.
Trump is the kind of guy who comes to his own conclusions. If they don't agree with those of his bureaucrats then the hell with the bureaucrats. The bureaucrats who have become taken by their self image as some sort of royalty resent this and will fight such a man every step of the way. But hopefully the people will give him a second term in office.
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