Can National Security Adviser James Jones Survive a Second Round of Attacks and "Longer Knives"?

I am here in London where I'm participating in an interesting forum sponsored by the Princeton Project on National Security and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Transatlantic Program, I've received not just one email -- but three -- from prominent insider journalists and policy hands that Jim Jones' tenure as National Security Adviser is highly fragile.

One of these emails reports starkly:

Knives getting longer

That's all my contact said. But other emails have intimated to me a serious tone-deafness by Jones about his role and responsibilities, his relationship with the president, and his relationship with younger, dedicated, hardworking and late-working staff. Jones recently said that National Security Council staff members that stayed longer than 7:30 pm must be disorganized in their work.

I speak to various NSC officials -- often at 10:00 or 11:00 pm at night. They are hardworking, racing as fast as they can to manage the many, many, many major initiatives that Barack Obama has decided to simultaneously pursue.

James Jones is considered by his admirers to be a genius when thinking about management structures and decision-making processes. On the other hand, his critics see him as a plodding, slow-moving, out of touch retired general who was better prepared to think about the last era rather than the one we are moving into. His critics think that he's just too unable to animate nimble, high flex policy decision making products for a White House on a manic dash to get a lot of top tier issues dealt with.

Friends at the National Security Council respect a great deal the way in which NSC Deputy Tom Donilon is managing his brief. Many see him picking up the load that Jones seems unable or unwilling to carry. Donilon is deeply engaged in the broad Middle East and Iran portfolio, the non-proliferation/WMD/arms control portfolio, the China economic and security portfolio, and he has -- according to reports -- supported and helped cultivate relationship building between State, DoD, the NSC, and other parts of the national security bureaucracy.

Some tell me that James Jones decided to try and remove himself from the "whack-a-mole" crisis reaction style of decision-making that could rob the Obama administration of the chance to define a new course in national security affairs. Tom Donilon, according to reports, wields far more the hand of power when it comes to day to day management and responding to crises that require presidential attention and response.

Jones, in contrast, has been obsessed with the structure of decisions -- who is involved in those decisions, what the structure of decision-making should be, and what legal modifications to this process need to be made. He looks at that as the big nut that needs to be cracked -- and that would improve, according to Jim Jones, the president's effectiveness and chances of success at a macro level.

Jones' self-determined task is not high profile, mostly structural, and has not won him many admirers for leadership -- but what he is doing is necessary. If he departs his role, this challenge of dealing with the growing complexity of national security threats and the vital need to recalibrate the policy making and decision-making process will require the attention of someone serious.

So, whether Jones stays or goes -- his portfolio will remain vital.

But what is clear is that Jones has enemies and that they are trying to undermine his place in the Obama orbit.

Their motives may not be earnest concern about the tempo or pace of Jones' management style -- but they very well could be his unwillingness to allow the liberal interventionists inside the Obama administration to have more than their fair share of power in the Obama decision-making process.

Jones has structured an all views on the table approach to decision making -- quite evident when it comes to Middle East policy -- and the hawkish/neocon-friendly/Likudist-hugging part of the Obama administration's foreign policy operation may be engaged in a coup attempt against Jones.

I don't know if he'll survive this latest effort to oust him -- but folks need to know that those "longer knives", on the whole, do not have pure motives.

Steve Clemons directs the foreign policy programs at the New America Foundation and publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note

Comments

[Ionic Walrus]

w00t!!! This is a drill...

[stringer]

My guess is he's doing a fine job and actually trying to solve the most pressing problems first, which is largely absent from the national security apparatus of this administration.

They have absolutely no plan about how they want to deal with North Korea. They have something akin to half a strategy, which they are slow in implementing, with regard to how they want to deal with Afghanistan, Jones' former command. Maybe he's just actually trying to deal with problems and not just get his face on the news like the other 95% of people in this administration.

Jones comes from the Marines. They have a record of getting things done and not accepting excuses. From the article it sounds like Jones is just trying to imbibe his staff with that same quality. What's the problem?

He might not be as nimble as some of his younger peers, but he can actually point to things he's gotten done on the national security front. The rest of them (with the exceptions of Holbrooke, Clinton and Chris Hill) ? Not so much.

Count me as one of the many supporting Jones.

[Yasmine]

OBAMA should keep general JONES and his enemies with long knives sound quite Machiavellian.
Obama be careful.
Trust this military person more than his enemies.

[Sindona]

Having worked with Jones in the past and being familiar with his work as the Marine Corps Commandant and SAC EUR, I was surprised to see him get this post. He is a great self-promoter, but he failed to achieve results and wasted our tax dollars.

[anghiari]

I think with this new administration every body has to find out where their skills are most needed. Jones slower pace doesn't have to be a deteriment to the effort. That's why the article that Biden wants to be President is silly. Part of the big change is that we are probably learning that for the future we are going to need younger, leaner smarter Presidents. But it also means older more experienced staffers are going to be needed...they will be bringing instutitional memory and that experience to play in the decision making at the white House. It doesn't have to be either or. Youth has to be willing to understand they don't know everything and older experienced staff have to be willing to understand not every young kid will understand he/she needs to honor the knowledge and experience of older staff immediately, but it will come...You sure in the hell don't know where you're going, if you don't have a clue where you been.

[SamEllison]

After the way Cheney got things done a little organization is a good thing.

[PoliticalAnimal]

The neoCONs are a mortal threat - a clear and present danger - to the national security of the U.S. They are entrenched throughout the bureaucracy, and have completely infiltrated the White House and Congresss. They got us into Iraq, which by any measure has been an unmitigated disaster still playing out on a daily basis, turned peaceful Palestinian territories into a battle zone - remember Sharon storming the temple mount? The elections? - and allowed bin Laden to escape, among other crimes against this nation's interests.

Why are they still in power? Wasn't there an election? Or do they control both parties?

[Artos]

Apparently they will weasel their way into any political party in order to see to it that their goals are met. What bothers me is when those of us who are concerned by this and say so are hammered and criticized by Pro Israel types who insist that it is all a figment of our imaginations and that we are just being anti-semitic as per usual. Even though the evidence speaks for itself. But we're just imagining it. The best defense is always a good offense apparently.

[ethancorso]

Jim Jones has stated that his daily orders come from Henry Kissinger:

James Jones, speaking at the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy (caps mine):

February 8th, 2009 --

"Thank you for that wonderful tribute to Henry Kissinger yesterday. Congratulations. As the most recent National Security Advisor of the United States, I TAKE MY DAILY ORDERS FROM DR. KISSINGER, filtered down through Generaal Brent Scowcroft and Sandy Berger, who is also here. We have a chain of command in the National Security Council that exists today."

- http://www.cfr.org/publication/18515/ (first paragraph)

[Yasmine]

that sounds odd that General Jones should get orders from Kissinger , etc..........
i have nothing against these gentlemen , but GETTING ORDERS does not sound right.....­..........­...
I however like general JONES because he is a military man , and they are patriotic and hopefully will do or say or suggest or advise what is GOOD for AMERICA.
AND his enemies with long knives sure do not sound good............so it means they want him out so as to implement their evil plots.

[David Gallaher]

There isn't much "here" here, but Jim Jone's biggest mistake is facilitating the error of Afghanistan, which will eventually spell the doom of this new Presidency.
We cannot eradicate people's agricultural livelihood and then say, "Hi! I'm from the US Government. I'm here to "help" you."

[Artos]

I think that you might be right in part, but I think the larger problem which will tend to disengage the Afghanistanis is the constant "collateral damage" issue. We have the habit of using massive firepower to destroy targets which ends up killing non combatants and that causes just as much if not more anger and resentment.

[Flymast]

Personally I think the selection of General James Jones was the best personnel decision made by President Obama; he seems to be very structured and forward thinking and his "boots on the ground" military experience to me just helps the entire decision making chain of process here related to natiional security. I think this is coming from "lowly" staffers who don't like the orders they maybe receiveing and could have been rumor spread by someone looking to move up through the shakeout. General Jones keep up the good work!

[Artos]

One problem that always comes up when a former Military type takes charge in a civilian environment is that they were trained to take charge and not to brook any kind of disobedience. When they want something done they expect it to be done and immediately. To most civilians that kind of handling grates and that is what leads to difficulties. A good example is the Postal Service or even the Police Departments. These organizations rely heavily on former military for their personnel. The obvious repercussions are that the Postal Service had carriers that went "Postal" and we can see on a daily basis the problems with our police who have officers that can't relate to the public. Whenever someone doesn't do what an officer wants yesterday they get tazed or worse. I'm willing to bet if these events are given a closer look they'll find a good percentage of those involved had military backgrounds. That's why I stayed away from being a cop.

[sweetsdawsonusn]

Semper Fi General, do your job based on the experience that you have obtained. The man has more in his experience than Rice would ever have in her meger life time. The Bush gang and the Fox wing og the GOP caused all this crap and the MSM does not call them on it for fear of being biased. The hell with that truth is truth and a lie is a lie. Enuff Said......

[polaris12]

This is a planted story. Not at all clear who is behind it or what the motive is. Any comments are just shooting in the dark.

[mommadona]

And you are....?

Gonna save U.S. from ourselves, eh?

Nice try, Adam Putnam Perky Puppy Squad member.

[Artos]

The reason for planting a story is either to elicit support for their efforts to unseat him or just to lay the ground work for making the public aware that it's already a done deal and why.

[R2D2-51]

Putting your life on the line everday is not a benchmark for qualification. Its an experience, and there are millions of dedicated American's who do that every day to save your butt, not all of which are gun toters.

[Madmac]

The solution is easy. Split the job. General jones' expertise is organization

[Kache]

Following Jones's stint as NATO commander, he resigned rather than take what would have been his next post - CentCom, over the Iraq-Afghan wars (Admiral Fallon got the promotion). Jones then went to Palestine as a Special Envoy. The city of Jenin was under occupation by the IDF. Jones, working with Abbas's PA organized a new Palestinian police force which the IDF handed over control to. That police force has prevented any suicide attacks. Jenin has become the working Israeli-Palestinian security model in the West Bank.

Let the air-heads down the hall try to unseat the "get it done" General. The housecleaning might not go the way they plan it.

[mcantwell]

Thanks for the info. Gen. Jones sounds like he is the right man for the job to help bring about peace between Israel and Palestine.

[skialethia]

And that's exactly the kind of man Israel doesn't want on the job.