To play the devil's advocate, a secret cabal wouldn't be running every little detail. It would decide things like "bring a black man to presidency", "next year

To play the devil's advocate, a secret cabal wouldn't be running every little detail. It would decide things like "bring a black man to presidency", "next year we're invading country X". Not that I think such a cabal exists per se, but certain powerful groups can make such decisions, and these groups do exist.