The same thing happened to Zaphod
J. Brad Delong: Grand Vizier Cheney. What happens when the leader of the free world realizes he’s in over his head? Hint: In this situation, you want to be the guy writing the PDB.
Theory 3 is that George W. Bush was supposed to be Head-of-State, but that those who thought he would be satisfied to let other, wiser heads run the government were guilty of wishful thinking: that George W. Bush wants to be Head-of-Government as well. When he makes decisions, he makes snap judgments based on inadequate information (i.e., that the American economy’s biggest problem is “SEC overreach”), and he will not revisit a decision once it has been made. Thus the task of managing George W. Bush is a ticklish one. He’s not curious enough to seek out information on his own. So you have to (a) present him with a lump of information that will push him in the direction you want him to go and then (b) get him to immediately make the decision you want him to make–all the while guarding against your bureaucratic enemies who want the decision to go the other way.