There was quite a bit of talk when Barack Obama took office about Doris Kearn’s book, Team of Rivals. It’s about Abraham Lincoln and the fact that he brought is avowed enemies into his cabinet when he was elected president.
Lincoln was a strong man who did not suffer cognitive dissonance or from group think, two terms that had not been invented at that time. He wanted to hear it all, knowing that the truth can pop up anywhere, and might best be fleshed out by heated exchange among rivals.
John F. Kennedy had a different strategy after the Bay of Pigs. He deliberately left meetings where he thought his mere presence was influencing the discussion.
But with Obama, it’s quite different. That was a nice little touch when he took office, to make it look like he was bringing ideological rivals on board. He wasn’t. He was bringing in people that shared his philosophy, which looks suspiciously like that of his predecessor.
The joke’s on us!
Piece of Mindful 