DID DIIULIO FAIL BECAUSE HE’S AN ACADEMIC? Daniel Drezner points out that Condi Rice, another academic, is doing just fine in the Administration. Rice, however, was an Administrator, and the snakepit of academic administration breeds minds Machiavellian enough to flourish in any other environment.

DiIulio, on the other hand, was a Talent. As an academic star, he didn’t have to waste a lot of time on the bureaucracy, and probably didn’t develop the requisite skills. I think that’s the difference.

UPDATE: Josh Claybourn has some thoughts, too.