The O’Toole Chronicles: The Makings of a Wartime Consigliere

In our political vernacular, strictly speaking, we all know what a wartime consigliere means. The real question is, do we know what makes a good one?

Naturally, we give tribute to the single greatest political movie ever made – The Godfather – for having given birth to this highest of compliments. For my more frequent readers, I know that I often refer to The Godfather in my columns, it is not because I romanticize the mob (should it even exist), rather it is because this movie is filled with life lessons. I dare anyone to contact me and honestly tell me they keep surfing channels when the “The Godfather Part 1 or Part 2” show up on their screen. Conversely, I dare anyone to honestly tell me they DON’T keep channel surfing when they see “The Godfather Part 3.”

In the movie, we all witnessed when Michael, the-coming-of-age Godfather, shockingly relieved the family’s longtime consigliere (Tom Hagen) of his duties and relegated him to running the legitimate businesses in Las Vegas. Michael selected his father as the new wartime consigliere and Vito truly fit the upcoming need. I believed that Michael’s plan to take out the five families was too much for Tom Hagen, who typically advocated for “other” solutions. Right then and there, in that one-moment, Michael made clear to Tom that he was a consigliere to the family just NOT a wartime one.

That got me thinking: What makes for a good political wartime consigliere? In my experience and opinion, you need someone:

Who has a high “street IQ” with some book sense;
Who has a feel for every room;
Who can communicate clearly without conflict or mixed message (unless you
want a mixed message sent);
Who has some experience in this world;
Who has discretion and can compartmentalize conversations;
Who doesn’t talk out of school about former bosses or experiences;
Who has no real financial angle to work for or against you;
Who doesn’t have great vices;
Who can be taken seriously by all;
Who is fairly well liked and even tempered;
Who has good judgement;

Who has some worldly perspective;
Who is self-aware;
Who doesn’t rely upon others in politics for a living;
Who remains humble and continues to learn;
Who isn’t easily impressed by people or things;
Who can react quickly on their feet;
Who gets “the joke”;
Who understands how all the pieces fit into the “greater good”;
Who can detach themselves emotionally from making a decision; and
Finally, someone who can carry out the “kill” order when absolutely
necessary.

The reality is that there are plenty of operatives out there who fashion themselves as the next great wartime consigliere, when in actuality their role as advisor has produced checkered results. I can’t tell you how many times I have come across the ruin of a once promising political star, all because of the poor advice they got from their “consigliere.” A poorly chosen consigliere, or one who doesn’t realize they aren’t good, can leave you as nothing more than a flaming wreck on the side of the road.

You’re better off sending them to run “Las Vegas” a/k/a the district office.