Carter Administration - Carter's Advisers

Carter's Advisers

Carter was notorious for micromanagement—paying personal, detailed attention to the issues he considered most important. One consequence of his deep involvement in policy issues was that Carter initially believed that he did not need a chief of staff to prioritize and simplify the issues the president decided. Carter preferred a "spokes in the wheel" configuration of government, with Carter at the hub, receiving information from cabinet officers and other advisers who made decisions and spoke to Carter directly.

Although he consulted with his cabinet secretaries, none were particularly influential in domestic policy, where Carter considered himself an expert. Energy Secretary James R. Schlesinger helped Carter formulate his energy package, and Attorney General Griffin Bell was influential in his selection of appointments to the federal judiciary, but Carter trusted his own opinion above all, and his most...

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