brite wrote:He knows how government works....
Exactly, and that is the expertise needed. There are plenty of people at the CDC and other places who possess the expertise related to public health emergencies. I happen to know one, in fact. An ex-neighbor. She travels to places to coordinate and supervise CDC activities. But what she doesn't do, and really can't do, is engage other government agencies to more effectively manage a situation. That's not her gig.
Cronyism is a word you might want to take another look at, GJ. Yes, Obama selected a person politically aligned to him. So what? If you were president, who would you choose if you needed someone relatively quickly? Someone you knew little about? Someone you didn't know if you could trust who might take the opportunity to politicize the response against you? No.
It's a little like accusations of playing favorites with your friends. Well, yeah. 'Friends' have already been vetted. If I were president, most of my freakin' staff would be my friends. I choose my friends because of who they are.