Federally Endorsed Mediocrity: The Contest

Here's a contest that I have a feeling (maybe better described as a fear) that many GovExec readers will be in a position to win.

It starts with an article my colleague Jeffrey Goldberg wrote in The Atlantic describing the many ways he tried to thwart airport security -- and, for the most part, succeeded. Transportation Security Administrator Kip Hawley responded to the article, saying in part:

Clever terrorists can use innovative ways to exploit vulnerabilities. But don’t forget that most bombers are not, in fact, clever. Living bomb-makers are usually clever, but the person agreeing to carry it may not be super smart. Even if “all” we do is stop dumb terrorists, we are reducing risk.

That, in turn, casued Goldberg to launch a contest, which he described as follows: "How would the Hawley Principle of Federally-Endorsed Mediocrity apply to other government endeavors?" He provided the following example:

FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison said yesterday in a press conference that his agency is well-equipped to cope with the consequences of strong winds and heavy precipitation. "FEMA has been criticized for its performance during Hurricane Katrina, but I would like to point out that Katrina was a very big hurricane," he said. "Most storms, in fact, don't become hurricanes, and it is these storms that we will focus our efforts on." Paulison went on to say that FEMA is also prepared to handle the after-effects of such moderate storms as minor flooding, downed tree branches, and missing cats.

Entries already are coming in to the contest. If you want to give it a shot (and potentially win a subscription to The Atlantic), you can send your entry to: Goldberg.Atlantic@gmail.com.