Zampolit

Belmont Club » Dual Control: "Obama, as per the NYT, is angry.  He feels that his underlings have failed him.  He therefore needs to put someone he can trust, someone who is absolutely loyal, in a position where he can watch over his officers and ensure they carry out his wishes.  That’s why Klain doesn’t need any medical qualifications. His sole necessary qualification is blind loyalty.

There’s nothing unusual about this. In systems with dual control, the political overrides the official.  In the Red Army “the commissar also had the military authority to countermand the unit commander’s orders when required”. That authority was there for a reason: to ensure the primacy of the political. The zampolit‘s job was to make sure everyone knew he had the ear of the Boss; reported only to the Boss and would stop at nothing to protect the Boss.  If that doesn’t describe the role of a political operative, then nothing does."

And BTW, if you haven't noticed, all of Obola's orders are political. And he knows more than the M.D's of course -- there's no job he can't do better than anyone else.