Is Elizabeth Warren qualified to create an agency from scratch? [View All]

[NJmaverick]

You know one thing I learned from studying history and management is that not every brilliant person is suited for every role. Elizabeth Warren is no doubt a brilliant woman who holds the sort of views that we liberals agree with. As such, it's quite natural that we (myself included) would think that she would be an excellent choice to head the new consumer protection agency. Now having heard President Obama's remarks on this issue, it sounds like she is not the front runner for the position. That lead me to wonder why. Now it's possible (since this is all speculation) that she was the victim of various political maneuvering. Yet when I consider the matter further I look at what this task invovles. What you are going to see happen is an agency is going to be created from scratch. That's is a manager's ultimate challenge. There is so much logistics involved in such a task. You have to create an organizational structure, hire the right people, find a place to operate, develop relationships with businesses, consumer groups, Congress and other agencies. You are going to have to develop a refined mission statement, roles and job descriptions of each employee and department.
The person that founds such an agency should have a solid background running and managing government agencies (preferable some of these being regulatory). When I look at Ms Warren's background, I don't see that sort of experience. In fact based on her experience, I could see her being quickly overwhelmed. Perhaps the President is correct in having her work and help guide the creation of the agency, while letting someone else do the heavy managerial lifting required.