Quote of the Day.

In trying to understand bureaucratic infighting, you must grasp: (1) political appointees are a tiny, tiny oil film atop the ocean of career people. Esp. at Justice. (2) They often have no experience at all, and are dependent upon what their subordinates tell them. - David Hardy, Column on Heller and the conflict within DoJ

Bear in mind, this is largely true also of the freshly-elected, which is why term-limits aren't the panacea they otherwise would appear to be. Senators, Congresscritters, and elected vermin of all types come and go, but the bureaucracy lives on. And if you don't properly fill out the form 1934 stroke seven B and file it in triplicate, your office will never receive its standard issue one gross of paper, sanitary, single-ply, perforated, on rolls.

And if you strike out "paper, sanitary" and replace it with "oven, pizza," one will be delivered in under one week.

I shudder to think what would happen if you substituted "device, nuclear."