Post by Hussar on Nov 17, 2004 6:25:45 GMT -5
Powell's gone and Condi Rice get's the Secretary of State nod. Hmm, there went the last moderate voice in the Whitehouse.
Interesting that FOUR cabinet members have bailed after the election. Not sure if this is a good thing or bad. Rice has unbelievable credentials. She is certainly qualified for the job. However, her unwavering support of Bush regardless of the facts scares me a little. At least Powell would stand up once in a while.
Neo-conservatives in the Bush administration took a strong grip on U.S. diplomacy Tuesday with the nomination of Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state.
If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Rice will replace Colin Powell, who was generally seen as a more moderate voice in a cabinet of hawks.
The choice of such a strong loyalist, one who backs his policy of pre-emptive war, takes away the dissenting voice that Mr. Powell offered. It sends the message that the spirit of Mr. Bush's foreign policy is unlikely to change in his second term.
"The secretary of state is America's face to the world and in Dr. Rice the world will see the strength, grace and decency of our country," Mr. Bush told reporters at the White House as the made the announcement. He did not take questions.
Mr. Powell said Monday that he would leave the post as soon as a replacement has been confirmed. Ms. Rice, currently serving as the National Security Adviser, would be the first black woman to head the State Department.
Ms. Rice's role will be filled by Stephen Hadley, who has been her deputy.
There has also been rampant speculation Tuesday that more resignations are coming. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge has reportedly made it known that he would like a different position and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is thought to be preparing to leave. Although not as prominent as Mr. Powell, both played highly public roles in the fight against terrorists and the late-2001 anthrax scares.
Mr. Ridge is travelling and unavailable for comment, but his office has made it clear that no announcement is forthcoming.
A replacement for Mr. Powell will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, but making the choice public so quickly allows Mr. Bush to indicate the direction of his foreign policy. Mr. Powell was generally seen as a voice of moderation in a hawkish cabinet. Insiders say that he regularly lost behind-closed-doors battles with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Ms. Rice is known as a brilliant loyalist of Mr. Bush, with a deep knowledge of Russia and the former Soviet Union. Her credentials are widely accepted, but she will have to work to gain the kind of international trust that Mr. Powell continued to enjoy even as his boss's reputation plummeted around the world.
She inherits relations frayed by the invasion of Iraq and will have to live down comments showing her harshly realpolitik view on how Washington should treat European opponents of the war.
She is reported to have urged Mr. Bush to "Punish France, ignore Germany and forgive Russia."
"Condi Rice is a woman with character, that's the least we can say," French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier noted to Associated Press.
Mr. Powell was the most high-profile of four cabinet ministers to make public their resignations on Monday. He was joined by Agriculture Secretary Ann Venneman, Education Secretary Rod Paige and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.
Two others, including Attorney-General John Ashcroft, said last week that they would quit.
The full Bush cabinet included 15 people, nearly half of whom have now said they will leave.
If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Rice will replace Colin Powell, who was generally seen as a more moderate voice in a cabinet of hawks.
The choice of such a strong loyalist, one who backs his policy of pre-emptive war, takes away the dissenting voice that Mr. Powell offered. It sends the message that the spirit of Mr. Bush's foreign policy is unlikely to change in his second term.
"The secretary of state is America's face to the world and in Dr. Rice the world will see the strength, grace and decency of our country," Mr. Bush told reporters at the White House as the made the announcement. He did not take questions.
Mr. Powell said Monday that he would leave the post as soon as a replacement has been confirmed. Ms. Rice, currently serving as the National Security Adviser, would be the first black woman to head the State Department.
Ms. Rice's role will be filled by Stephen Hadley, who has been her deputy.
There has also been rampant speculation Tuesday that more resignations are coming. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge has reportedly made it known that he would like a different position and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is thought to be preparing to leave. Although not as prominent as Mr. Powell, both played highly public roles in the fight against terrorists and the late-2001 anthrax scares.
Mr. Ridge is travelling and unavailable for comment, but his office has made it clear that no announcement is forthcoming.
A replacement for Mr. Powell will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, but making the choice public so quickly allows Mr. Bush to indicate the direction of his foreign policy. Mr. Powell was generally seen as a voice of moderation in a hawkish cabinet. Insiders say that he regularly lost behind-closed-doors battles with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Ms. Rice is known as a brilliant loyalist of Mr. Bush, with a deep knowledge of Russia and the former Soviet Union. Her credentials are widely accepted, but she will have to work to gain the kind of international trust that Mr. Powell continued to enjoy even as his boss's reputation plummeted around the world.
She inherits relations frayed by the invasion of Iraq and will have to live down comments showing her harshly realpolitik view on how Washington should treat European opponents of the war.
She is reported to have urged Mr. Bush to "Punish France, ignore Germany and forgive Russia."
"Condi Rice is a woman with character, that's the least we can say," French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier noted to Associated Press.
Mr. Powell was the most high-profile of four cabinet ministers to make public their resignations on Monday. He was joined by Agriculture Secretary Ann Venneman, Education Secretary Rod Paige and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.
Two others, including Attorney-General John Ashcroft, said last week that they would quit.
The full Bush cabinet included 15 people, nearly half of whom have now said they will leave.
Interesting that FOUR cabinet members have bailed after the election. Not sure if this is a good thing or bad. Rice has unbelievable credentials. She is certainly qualified for the job. However, her unwavering support of Bush regardless of the facts scares me a little. At least Powell would stand up once in a while.
. your kidding right