Being Fair to Joshua Livestro

Was I too harsh in my recent criticisms of Sarah Palin’s new economic advisor?

A friend whose judgment I respect - and who knows a lot about European public policy - writes to endorse Joshua Livestro's ability: "he’s a pretty well-qualified guy, quite well-known in European policy circles." So let me reiterate what I said in my prior blog post on this subject: I meant no disparagement or disrespect to Livestro personally when I wondered why Palin did not hire an economist or an expert on public finance to advise her on the European debt crisis. As a leading presidential candidate, she has access to the world's most highly qualified advice on every subject.

I don't deny the value of policy generalists: smart people who can help a candidate assess advice, both in terms of its merits and in terms of that advice's consistency with the candidate's own values. I'm a policy generalist myself. But a good policy generalist knows better than anyone the difference between being well-informed - and being truly expert.