July 29, 2004
Kerry Demands Devil's Advocate
Via Brad DeLong comes excerpts of a subscription-only Wall Street Journal article about Bush and Kerry's decision-making style. Here's the part that really stood out for me:
Mr. Kerry's advisers say he favors a "devil's advocate" or "Socratic method" approach, even on issues -- such as campaign-finance reform or blocking drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- for which he is widely known as a leading advocate. Aides compare the experience with returning to law school. "He threw question after question after question at me," says former aide Gregg Rothschild about a briefing on whether to back a Clinton-era free-trade initiative. "At one point I tried to catch my breath and sighed. He said, 'Gregg, don't give up, hang in there.'"
The best beliefs to question are your own if you're at all interested in discovering the truth. The fact that Kerry subjects his own views to rigorous analysis before making a final decision is incredibly encouraging. It signals that he's interested in more than mere confirmation of his preconceptions. This stands in stark contrast to everything we know about Bush's process. From the stove-piped WMD intelligence to global warming "science" to stem cell research to tax cuts, Bush has been more interested in having his opinions confirmed and reinforced than challenged. Kerry will still end up with the wrong answer on occasion—that's inevitable—but at least it won't be for lack of trying to get it right.
UPDATE: The Christian Science Monitor has an article detailing Kerry's style of leadership that states:
When it comes to leadership, Kerry has two impulses that sometimes conflict.He can move fast when he has to.
Combat, after all, is no place for a waffler. But on many matters, particularly those that involve abstract thought, his decision-making process sometimes meanders. He may not make a final choice until he's picked an issue apart and examined its aspects in detail.
Although too much attention to detail can be a liability in some cases, it sounds like Kerry tends to strike a good balance most of the time.