Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin add some more depth to the story of Jim Jones' difficult transition to the job of National Security Adviser and the dueling profiles that came out this week in what seems, at least to the authors, like an administration effort to bolster the general's standing in the press:
"That was not the profile they were looking for of their national security adviser," said one prominent Democrat and Obama ally, barely suppressing a laugh.
Steve Clemons of New America Foundation, who writes the foreign policy blog The Washington Note, said Jones had blundered by criticizing his colleagues who work past 7 p.m.
"It was a mistake to make that kind of statement," Clemons said. "The world is complex. Lots of stuff is happening."
Clemons, noting the remarkable congruence between the articles, said: "There seems to be a campaign to dislodge him." ...
Another official said Obama aides routinely had to sidestep their own national security adviser.
"The system is full of workarounds to cut Jones out of the loop and keep the business of government running," said the official.
Obama was praised when he first announced his national security team for assembling the best and the brightest who also happened to be moderate and pragmatic. Jones shared in that praise, considered a centrist who could've ended up in the same job regardless who won the election. But it turns out that in order to keep the business of government running, it's necessary to cut Jones out of the loop. No one is attacking Jones because of his views, he just isn't pulling his weight, and it's now clear that he's a bad fit for that job. Obama owes it to the country to bring in a national security adviser who's willing to work past 7 o'clock if necessary -- someone who is willing to take a 3 am phone call.
