At the time of Washington's retirement, the US extended nominally to Mississippi on the west, and a bit north of the Gulf of Mexico on the south. Its practical

At the time of Washington's retirement, the US extended nominally to Mississippi on the west, and a bit north of the Gulf of Mexico on the south. Its practical control did not cover anything like all that territory. So yes, things have changed. >> To get a role with the British government, it was all about who you knew. Quite, but Bagehot makes a case for the British cabinet system. British cabinets have had their share of duds, but so have American cabinets. See Elkins and McKittrick, The Federalist Era, on the decline of the cabinet between Washington's administrations and Adams's.