So Much for Term Limits

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Wednesday August 06, 2008 · 7:48 AM PDT

2008/08/06 · 07:48

I watched No End in Sight again the other day. And the part that angered me the most this time through was the realization of how long Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Powell, and Armitage have been influencing policy. So I did a quick audit of some of the Bush Administration's top Cabinet members and officials. Most of this information was taken from Wikipedia and I checked most of the sources listed. I highlight the total number of years active, but the dates these people were active is also noteworthy.

I shall let the evidence speak for itself.

(Anyone else I should audit? Let me know.)

George W. Bush

4.5 Years as George H. W. Bush surrogate (1987-1992)
8 Years President of the United States (2001-2009)
Total Years of Influence: 12.5 years

Dick Cheney

2 Years Staff of Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity under Donald Rumsfeld (1969-1970)
.5 Year White House Staff Assistant (1971)
3 Years Assistant Director of the Cost of Living Council (1971-1973)
1 Years Deputy Assistant to the President under Donald Rumsfeld (1974-1975)
1.5 Years Chief of Staff under Gerald Ford (1975-1977)
- Campaign Manager for Ford's 1976 Campaign

4 Years Secretary of Defense under George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)
8 Years Vice President of the United States/President of the Senate (2001-2009)
Total Years of Influence: 20 years

Notable Private Sector Jobs:

5 Years as Chairman of the Board and CEO for Halliburton

Other Notable Facts:
McCain may offer him a Cabinet position if elected

Colin Powell

2 Years National Security Advisor under President-Elect Ronald Regan (1987-1989)
4 Years Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff under George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)
4 Years Secretary of State under George W. Bush (2001-2005)
Total Years of Influence: 10 Years

Richard Armitage

.5 Years Foreign Policy Advisor under Ronald Regan (1980)
2.5 Years Deputy Asst Secretary of Defense for East Asia and Pacific Affairs under Ronald Regan (1981-1983)
5.5 Years Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy under Ronald Regan (1983-1989)
.5 Years Foreign Policy Advisor for George W. Bush Presidential Campaign (2000)
4 Years Deputy Secretary of State under Colin Powell (2001-2005)
Total Years of Influence: 13 Years

Condoleezza Rice

2 Years Director/Senior Director of Soviet and East European Affairs in the National Security Council under George H. W. Bush (1989-1991)
4 Years National Security Advisor under George W. Bush (2001-2005)
4 Years Secretary of State under George W. Bush (2005-2009)
Total Years of Influence: 10 Years

Notable Private Sector Jobs:

A number of years as Public Policy Committee Head for Chevron, ending in 2001

Donald Rumsfeld

4 Years Various Director and Cabinet positions held under President Nixon (Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Assistant to the President, Counselor to the President, Director of the Economic Stabilization Program) (1969-1972)
1 Year U.S. Ambassador to NATO (1973)
1.5 Years White House Cheif of Staff under Gerald Ford (1974-1975)
1.5 Years Secretary of Defense under Gerald Ford (1975-1977)
18 Years Serving on Various Committees (1982-2000)
4 Years Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush (2001-2005)
Total Years of Influence: 30 Years

Notable Private Sector Jobs:

8 Years Chief Executive Officer, President, and then Chairman of G.D. Searle & Company, a worldwide pharmaceutical company (1977-1985)

Paul Wolfowitz

2 Years Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department (1980-1982)
3 Years State Department Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (1982-1985)
4 Years Undersecretary of Defense for Policy under Dick Cheney (1989-1993)
4 Years Deputy Secretary of Defense under Donald Rumsfeld (2001-2005)
Total Years of Influence: 13 Years

Notable Private Sector Jobs:

2 Years as President of the World Bank Group (2005-2007)

Robert Gates

.5 Year Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (1989)
2 Years Deputy National Security Advisor under Brent Scowcroft (1989-1991)
1.5 Years Director of CIA (1991-1993)
2 Years Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush (2006-2009)
Total Years of Influence: 6 Years

Robert Zoellick

3.5 Years Under Secretary of State for Economic and Agricultural Affairs under George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)
4 Years U.S. Trade Representative under George W. Bush (2001-2005)
1.5 Years Deputy Secretary of Defense under Robert Gates (2005-2006)
Total Years of Influence: 9 Years

Notable Private Sector Jobs:

4 Years Executive Vice President at the Frederal National Mortgage Association (1993-1997)
Current President of the World Bank Group (2007+)

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