The Woodward book has underscored, again, that the original sin for how this administration has unfolded was the chucking of the transition planning. Even before the election, Christie critics were saying they would get rid of him and his allies if they won...
Six months of planning was tossed out. The normal factions one would see in a transition were pronounced and emboldened. People - like Flynn - were rewarded for loyalty despite concerns from the co-leaders of transition, Christie and Sessions.
And Trump was dazzled by the idea of hiring people who had no interest in sitting in meetings with him prior to his victory, such as Gary Cohn and Rex Tillerson. It never occurred to him or to some close to him that Cohn and Tillerson would have a hard time becoming staffers.
Presidents often keep people with opposing views around, but they are entitled to have appointees who will carry out their agendas and wishes. It should not have surprised anyone that hiring a top dog Democrat from Wall St would be problematic in that regard.
Priebus often gets blamed for aspects of the transition. But even he wasn't always able to hire who he wanted to hire. No non-Trump family member is ever fully empowered.
