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PaperclipPerfector  18d ago (text post)   2066 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 3, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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The White House chief of staff and his staff, high level people in the executive branch offices like the State Department and the CIA, heads of cabinet departments for domestic issues. Hundreds of anonymous bureaucrats.

But how do they decide who's on top? What if CIA wants one thing and State Dep another and chief of staff another?

Presumably they discuss and either compromise, trade favours, or go with the opinion of the most senior & respected person in the room. It's entirely possible to make a flat / informal hierarchy work, it's just hard to break it out of serious deadlocks or disagreements.

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