Exactly. The right thing to do would be to take some time and study what the problem was - not rush out with a quick no-bid contract like this was just another swimming pool. People are protesting because this is a heedless "act first and plan later" approach to something that ought to have been treated with more care. Similar to their anger about the East Wing, where the Administration just tore down a big chunk of the then-existing White House just on their own...because they could.

This is handing out credit where no credit is due. The alternative viewpoint is that certain absurd items were taken as givens and no one challenged the premise.

To wit:

-We have to have state dinners in a tent in the mud on the White House lawn
-We have a reflecting pool full of green slime that doesn't actually reflect anything.

The left lost its mind even at the concept of the White House Ballroom. Doing the same thing now with the reflecting pond.

There has hardly been a calm and reasoned debate on either issue. And please don't claim that people here have been anywhere near polite or reasoned about it.

There's a reason we normally have government jobs go though public bidding with multiple competing companies and a more considered process for developing the job scope for these things. Trump decided to bypass all those protections....so if it ends up we have the sort of botched job those protections are supposed to prevent, it's natural that people will get upset at how cavalierly he has treaded our national heritage.

1. The left was cool with the accepted premises above, so there goes the 'upset with how cavalierly the national treasures' defense
2. Do you think that government procurement procedures and study is a model of efficiency, wise fiscal management and expediency for completing projects? Because if you do, I give you...the Pentagon.