Sometimes you have to link to the big dogs
Well, I could lie… anyway, Daily Kos gave up this interesting tidbit:
State Dept. Changes Seen if Bush Reelected Powell and Armitage Intend to Step Down
By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 4, 2003; Page A01
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and his deputy, Richard L. Armitage, have signaled to the White House that they intend to step down even if President Bush is reelected, setting the stage for a substantial reshaping of the administration's national security team that has remained unchanged through the September 2001 terrorist attacks, two wars and numerous other crises.
Armitage recently told national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that he and Powell will leave on Jan. 21, 2005, the day after the next presidential inauguration, sources familiar with the conversation said. Powell has indicated to associates that a commitment made to his wife, rather than any dismay at the administration's foreign policy, is a key factor in his desire to limit his tenure to one presidential term.
Rice and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz are the leading candidates to replace Powell, according to sources inside and outside the administration. Rice appears to have an edge because of her closeness to the president, though it is unclear whether she would be interested in running the State Department's vast bureaucracy.
If this happened, then Rumsfeld will finally have achieved the merger of the Department of
AttackDefense and the State Department he's been working for all this time. Just think of how our allies will react to
that.
Though Kos says
Problem is, Powell is the administration's lone symbol of moderation. Powell's presence in the 2000 elections helped reassure many that Bush would not rule from the Right.
Given Bush's track record, Powell's perception of moderation is more important than ever. Word that he's on the way out will not do Bush any favors.
I'm more in agreement with
the best comment I've read on the subject:
British Labour MP Glenda Jackson, who has called for Tony Blair's resignation as British Prime Minister told News Online: "I can't see how Powell restrained anything and if he did try, he failed. He only turned to the UN because the US and UK wanted to validate a decision to invade which had already been taken.
"I can't see that his going would make much difference. It might be that the administration has learned from its mistake and would put in a more openly committed ideologue."
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/4/2003 01:04:31 PM |
Posted by P6 at August 4, 2003 01:04 PM
| Trackback URL: http://www.prometheus6.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/74
