Little Things

The man who runs counterterrorism operations in the U.K. has had to resign because he grabbed a document the wrong way, exposing it to telephoto lenses. His resignation both does and doesn't make sense. The mistake put an operation at risk, but it was the kind of incredibly unconscious mistake anyone could make. It's a reminder of the kind of pressure top leaders live under, and I think it's worth considering. Most of us can make a small mistake, hit "reply all" when we meant an email to go to one person, show up 15 minutes late one day because of traffic etc. But in certain positions, grab a piece of paper the wrong way and you're done. I can't imagine operating under that kind of pressure. But a lot of political appointees do every day. I still think too much emphasis is placed on politicals, and there should be fewer of them. But I can't say I'd want their jobs either.