Chief of staff Quote by Charlie Savage
““According to James Mann's Rise of the Vulcans, once a year in the 1980s, the Reagan administration flew Cheney to a secret bunker to practice rebuilding the government if the Soviets destroyed Washington. Cheney's role, Mann reported, was to use his White House chief of staff experience to run the government in the name of any surviving cabinet member who made it to the bunker. The Reagan plan ignored the Presidential Succession Act, a 1947 law that put two top congressional leaders higher in the line of succession than cabinet secretaries. The program also made no plan for reconstituting Congress, because "it would be easier to operate without them," a participant told Mann.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Rise of the Vulcans by James Mann, 2003
The Reagan administration prepared a secret continuity plan that bypassed legal succession rules, favoring a small inner circle over Congress.
In simple terms: A secret plan ignored official succession, favoring a few insiders.
Key Takeaway
Consider the risks of bypassing established protocols.
Themes
government continuity
legal compliance
power concentration
Mood
cautious
critical
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- national emergencies
- policy planning
- constitutional crisis
- leadership transitions
Key Concepts
succession law
executive authority
civil defense
Questions to Reflect On
- Is it ever justified to sidestep legal succession?
- What safeguards should exist for emergency governance?
A Different Perspective
Such plans can undermine democratic legitimacy and accountability.
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