In a series of expected moves, Secretary of State Colin Powell announced that he would step aside, and President Bush has apparently chosen Condoleezza Rice as Powell’s successor.
Powell, a retired four-star general who often clashed on Iraq and other foreign policy issues with more hawkish members of Bush’s administration, said he was returning to private life once his successor was in place.
The Cabinet exodus promised a starkly different look to Bush’s second-term team. Rice is considered more of a foreign policy hard-liner than the moderate Powell.
The White House announced Powell’s exit along with the resignations of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Veneman had said last week she wanted to stay.
Bush’s nomination of Rice is expected Tuesday afternoon, a senior administration official said.
Stephen Hadley, now the deputy national security adviser, is expected to replace Rice at the White House, the official said.
Combined with the resignations earlier this month of Commerce Secretary Don Evans and Attorney General John Ashcroft, six of Bush’s 15 Cabinet members will not be part of the president’s second term, which begins with his inauguration Jan. 20. An administration that experienced few changes over the last four years suddenly hit a high-water mark for overhaul.
It’s well known that Powell was often not in full lockstep with the Bush administration, though this was quite often overblown into actual opposition. Powell will always be a fine military figure and a respected statesman; nevertheless, I feel that Condi has more of the steel and understanding needed in the challenges presented by Islamist ambitions.
Now is not the time to worry overly much about the feelings, desires and ambitions of Old Europe. That time will come when they actually wake up to their own danger. No, now is instead the time for a titanium spine, an iron gauntlet and a vision of optimistic change in dealing with the Moslem world, as is also the case with North Korea and communist China. It’s now Condi’s turn.
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3 responses to “Bush Chooses Rice to Replace Powell”
Rice was WMD. If you can’t figure that cost the U.S., well, I guess the CIA and the New Plames will bitch about the war(the operations director’s,etc. axing), morale, and will never be dissolved by Congress. Not that Goss Was Congressional oversight and may have a difficult time explaining there were no problems while he was in oversight, not that selecting a Congressman was a ‘bribe.’
Yes, I said: Rice started the Iraq War and WWIII. She did this with a WMD degree and one trusting and misled alcoholic. The, new, so football(three touchdown tutor?), NAZI!
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