Yes Men

The muses dance and sing
They make the children really ring
I spend the day your way
Call it morning driving thru the sound and
In and out the valley
--Yes

A recent WSJ article (editorial?) framed President Obama as a micromanager, due to his desire for details about economic activity. So what. Decision-makers have different styles, some require more information than others.

More interesting in this piece is the president's purported desire for other points of view. He apparently challenges his staff to seek out arguments counter to staff beliefs. Fair enough. But how realistic is achieving true balanced perspective when you and your staff are strong idealogues proven to adhere to a particular viewpoint? A staff composed of Geithner, Summers, Emanuel, Axelrod, Romer, et al all lean far to one side of the spectrum.

Moreover, attempts to seek out counter points of view does not seem to have influenced this administration's decision-making outcomes, which have all been consistent with core ideological stance.

It's hard not to conclude that visible attempts to seek balanced perspective in decision-making is little more than a media gimmick.

The other conclusion that bubbles up from this article is the size of the problem faced by central planners who believe that they can somehow pull the correct levers to steer economies and markets. Given the systems' complexity and dynamics, that anyone can believe that he/she can manage this thing is the height of folly.

Or of hubris.