![](\"http:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=zenpundit-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001C2HXL4\")
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0a book Sutphen co-authored with <\/a>Nina Hachigian<\/a>.<\/strong>
I have not read their book ( nor heard of it\u00a0 before today, to be frank) but from listening to Sutphen and Hachigan opine on their infomercial video (see below)\u00a0The Next American Century<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0sounds more or less as a\u00a0breezy and happy version of the themes\u00a0in Thomas P. M. Barnett’s<\/a><\/strong> yet to be released Great Powers: America and the World After Bush<\/em><\/strong><\/a> Be interesting if anyone out there has a copy of the Sutphen-Hachigan book\u00a0to see if they cited PNM<\/a><\/strong> or BFA<\/a><\/strong> in the footnotes or index.<\/p>\n A final point, that Obama is moving such relatively young faces, like Mona Sutphen,\u00a0to high posts is a good sign. Regardless of how my more liberal readers and fellow FP\/mil\/Intel\/security bloggers may feel, the Democratic bench in these areas range from fair to decidely weak with a shortage of “stars” in the critical late 40’s to middle 50’s age band that normally fill the first through second tier appointive posts (of course, that deficit\u00a0partly comes from liberal activist hostility toward more conservative Democrats like Sam Nunn<\/strong> or Lee Hamilton<\/strong> who are always shortlisted but never appointed). Normally, you need a talent pool at least 2-3 deep at each position to handle the burnout, transience and delay in confirmation hearings that every administration faces. The Democrats have to build up that pool instead of relying on ancient Carter and aging Boomer, Clinton\u00a0retreads ( even so, look to seeing a lot of familiar GOP faces seatwarming\u00a0in the first year in the bureaucracy, unless the Senate rushes through every Obama appointment in record time).<\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=zenpundit-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0399155376\")