Best and the Brightest

Janet Napolitano used this phrase in her confirmation hearings to head the Department of Homeland Security to describe the kind of people she wants the department to hire. To which I say, enough. This phrase is done. "Best and the Brightest" ought to be on the Tired list in every entertainment magazine's list of what's hot and what's not. It's not just that the phrase is a cliche. It's not even that it's drawn from David Halberstam's critique of what relying on smart, idealistic people can produce (namely, the Vietnam War).

Rather, saying "we're going to hire the best and the brightest" is the policy equivalent of saying "I would like a pony." It's an expression of desire, with no meaningful engagement with the recruiting and hiring processes. Federal agencies have big challenges determining what skills they need to bring on board, how to convince the people who possess those skills to get excited about working for the federal government, how to convince them to stick with it through the federal hiring process, and how to bring them on board and best use their talents. There is no snazzy little phrase that encompasses that process, but I would be much more excited about an appointee who took the time to describe that as their goal.