New book on Obama's economic team is not flattering

Here's another indication of a poorly managed White House. Author Ron Suskind says there was deep resentment over the imperious and heavy-handed style of Lawrence Summers, one-time chairman of the National Economic Council, and that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner would drag his feet on decisions that he didn't agree with, including one involving Citibank. Suskind's book, "Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President," will provide a feast for Obama haters - and I must say the snippets in the NYT and AP raise some serious issues about in-fighting and mixed messages. From the Times:

The book offers a portrait of a White House operating under intense pressure as it dealt with a cascade of crises, from insolvent banks to collapsing carmakers. And it details the rivalries among figures around the president, including Mr. Summers; Mr. Geithner; the former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel; and the budget director, Peter R. Orszag. In this rough-and-tumble environment, the book reports, female staff members often felt bruised. At a dinner with Mr. Obama in November 2009, several top female aides -- including Anita Dunn, who was the communications director, and Christina Romer, the chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers -- told the president about being talked over in meetings by male colleagues or cut out altogether.

From AP:

Larry Summers, the former White House economic adviser, is quoted as lamenting that he and others felt "home alone" and that mistakes made under Obama would not have happened under President Clinton, for whom Summers also served. Interviewed by Suskind, Summers initially denied making such comments, then acknowledged them, saying he was frustrated at having "five issues" of major importance to deal with at once and not "five times as many" officials to handle them.