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The Mad Monk
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of Ice Cream
Mar 2000
time: 23:30
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/w...anguage=printer
quote:
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.
With 18 months left in Bush's current term, many officials said talk of a new foreign policy team is highly premature -- particularly because Bush's reelection is not assured. No one inside or outside the administration agreed to be quoted by name or affiliation in discussing possible Cabinet choices. But on the eve of the country's first post-Sept. 11, 2001, presidential campaign, in which foreign affairs will play a prominent role, the national security lineup for a second Bush term is already a major topic of conversation, at least among those who make and analyze U.S. foreign policy.
Indeed, Director of Central Intelligence George J. Tenet is already the third-longest serving CIA chief and is expected to depart, perhaps before the current term ends. Tenet's role in the Iraq weapons' controversy has led to calls on Capitol Hill for his dismissal, fueling speculation he will quit soon.
The current administration has been characterized by fierce policy disputes, often between Powell and more hawkish members, and a reshuffling likely would significantly change the tenor and character of the foreign policy team.
Although Bush appears to value the range of opinions he has received from his chief national security advisers, he may feel free during a second term to realign his foreign policy more closely to the harder-edged, conservative view exemplified by Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, according to Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser.
Powell has staffed key positions in the State Department with close associates, and many of those officials also are expected to leave at the beginning of a second Bush term, giving the new secretary of state the opportunity to substantially re-staff the department.
Some observers have speculated that Powell, who made an extensive presentation before the United Nations in February on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction before the war, has been embarrassed by the failure to find much evidence of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons programs. But Powell, both publicly and privately, has said he has no regrets about his comments to the Security Council, arguing that they hold up well if read carefully.
Powell has declined to answer questions about his plans. "I serve at the pleasure of the president," he said last month. "That's the only answer I've ever given to that question, no matter what form it comes in."
Bush recently named Rice as his personal representative on the Middle East conflict, a move that some State Department officials view as an audition for secretary of state. Republican political operatives have also touted Rice as a possible candidate in the 2006 race for California governor. But Rice's image has been tarnished by the fallout over the administration's use of intelligence about Iraq's weapons, raising questions about her scrutiny of the materials and the veracity of her public statements.
Rice "is an honest, fabulous person, and America is lucky to have her service, period," Bush said at a news conference before departing for his August vacation.
Wolfowitz, the administration's foreign policy intellectual and prime advocate of a confrontation with Iraq, would be a more daring and controversial choice. A senior Senate Democrat said Wolfowitz would have little trouble winning confirmation in a Republican-controlled Senate. But others said that because Wolfowitz is considered more of a strategic thinker than a manager, he could be tapped as Rice's replacement as national security adviser if she became secretary of state or entered politics.
Long-shot candidates for secretary would include Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), the centrist chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee who is a strong supporter of Powell. Lugar is so respected by Democrats that his name was also floated during the Clinton administration.
Another dark horse is former House speaker Newt Gingrich. The Georgia Republican appears to be openly campaigning for the job, arguing in speeches and in a recent Foreign Policy magazine article that the State Department under Powell has failed to adequately support Bush's policies.
Among other key members of the foreign policy team, Rumsfeld is deeply involved in modernizing the military, as well as in the Pentagon's ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and appears willing to stay on beyond the start of a second term, officials said.
If Rice became secretary of state, that would open up another key slot -- national security adviser. Although Wolfowitz is considered a strong possibility, Rice's deputy, Stephen J. Hadley, could move up, much like Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger did when President Bill Clinton won a second term.
Officials also said another strong candidate is I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's chief of staff and already a principal foreign policy adviser inside the White House.
A dark-horse candidate for national security adviser is Steve Biegun, chief foreign affairs aide to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who is said to have impressed Bush when he served as executive secretary of the National Security Council early on in the administration.
There appear to be few obvious choices for a new CIA director. Armitage, known as a sharp manager willing to tackle tough projects, is viewed by some officials as the ideal replacement for Tenet. But Armitage has insisted to others that he will leave the administration on the same day as Powell, one of his closest friends.
Rep. Porter J. Goss (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and a former CIA case officer, is considered a strong possibility, as is Wolfowitz if he is not tapped for secretary of state or national security adviser.
Two mid-level administration officials who could move up are Stephen A. Cambone, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, and Richard L. Haver, assistant to Rumsfeld on intelligence (and to Cheney when he was defense secretary in the administration of President George H.W. Bush). Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden, head of the National Security Agency, and retired Adm. William O. Studeman, a former NSA director and former CIA deputy director, are regarded as highly qualified for the job.
Two retired senators who served on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence -- Warren B. Rudman (R-N.H.) and Fred D. Thompson (R-Tenn.) -- are considered long-shot candidates for CIA director. But Thompson, a sometime actor who now appears in the television series "Law and Order," has one unusual attribute: He already played the CIA director in the 1987 Kevin Costner movie "No Way Out."
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
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Did I just scoop the Washington Post by eighteen minutes?
Oh, yes I did! 
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Worthingtons
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Pride Park,Derby
Jan 2002
time: 05:30
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It's a shame this good bloke wont stay on, but may you good folks from America get a worthy man to take the place!
Cheers
Matt
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DanS
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Kickball Capital of the World
Jan 1970
time: 00:30
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Interesting developments. Personally, I think they need some new blood at both State and CIA. Or National Security and CIA.
I don't want the neocons to have carte blanche at State, and Wolfowitz is very rough-edged (not much of a diplomat). Further, this would be a "cleaning house" choice. If anything, this would all argue for Rice, who is not a neocon, and has a lot of experience in managing a large organization. But I think she still needs some seasoning. She caught herself out in the open on the Niger issue, which others wisely played closer to the vest. It allowed a bullshit issue to fester. But she should be moved up in one way or another, if any openings are there.
As for CIA, it really would be nice to have Armitage there, if he would like the position. I have been very impressed with Armitage, even though he looks like a meathead. He plays a team game and is nobody's fool. Bush should find a way to move him up. Don't know many of the other people they mention.
Wolfowitz keeps being mentioned for all of the positions, but I don't think he should move up. He should be listened to, but followed only some of the time. National Security is more of a concensus-building position, which doesn't seem like a good position for him.
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Timexwatch
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Columbia Heights, Washington D.C.
Jul 1999
time: 00:30
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quote:
Originally posted by DanS
Interesting developments. Personally, I think they need some new blood at both State and CIA. Or National Security and CIA.
I don't want the neocons to have carte blanche at State, and Wolfowitz is very rough-edged (not much of a diplomat). Further, this would be a "cleaning house" choice. If anything, this would all argue for Rice, who is not a neocon, and has a lot of experience in managing a large organization. But I think she still needs some seasoning. She caught herself out in the open on the Niger issue, which others wisely played closer to the vest. But she should be moved up in one way or another, if any openings are there.
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I think that who the SecState brings with him in the upcoming "house cleaning" will be just as important as the (wo)man himself. I hope that Bush doesn't engage in his SOP and pick an obscure businessman with no governmental experience (or have those types installed in the vacated deputy spots). He can't afford to have green recruits in State right now with all the damage that has to be repaired and with whatever is the next crisis is.
Rice might be good if she can demonstrate that she can manage a leviathan like the State Department. If she can't, she'll end up pulling an Allbright...
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Sikander
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Boulder, Colorado, United Snakes of America
Jan 2000
time: 22:30
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quote:
Originally posted by DanS
Interesting developments. Personally, I think they need some new blood at both State and CIA. Or National Security and CIA.
I don't want the neocons to have carte blanche at State, and Wolfowitz is very rough-edged (not much of a diplomat). Further, this would be a "cleaning house" choice. If anything, this would all argue for Rice, who is not a neocon, and has a lot of experience in managing a large organization. But I think she still needs some seasoning. She caught herself out in the open on the Niger issue, which others wisely played closer to the vest. It allowed a bullshit issue to fester. But she should be moved up in one way or another, if any openings are there.
As for CIA, it really would be nice to have Armitage there, if he would like the position. I have been very impressed with Armitage, even though he looks like a meathead. He plays a team game and is nobody's fool. Bush should find a way to move him up. Don't know many of the other people they mention.
Wolfowitz keeps being mentioned for all of the positions, but I don't think he should move up. He should be listened to, but followed only some of the time. National Security is more of a concensus-building position, which doesn't seem like a good position for him. |
I agree, it would be conforting to see few familiar faces on the national security team. Armitage is a seasoned professional, especially compared to Wolfowitz who should never have been advanced beyond a position where his writings could be used to scare the crap out of potential foes.
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Timexwatch
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Columbia Heights, Washington D.C.
Jul 1999
time: 00:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Sikander
He must seem talented only to the French, who managed to trick him into bringing the Iraq mess before the UNSC in order to sabotage the U.S. Honestly the man has been a failure as Secretary of State by almost any measure. Even with his great reputation upon taking the position, he hasn't managed to succeed at much that I've seen. Perhaps the short list of successes would include building the coalition for the war in Afghanistan, and handing out money for AIDS in Africa, but not much else.
I like the man too, but just haven't seen much performance from him. Arguably there has never been a Secretary of State who has managed to preside over such a loss of international prestige as Colin Powell. I don't think it is all his fault either, but a great Secretary of State would be able to stick it to the enemy and make them like it. |
Powell's great contribution has been making the policy screwups look like everyone else's (i.e. France) fault but Bush's.
quote:
Former Senator Thompson is a very interesting name, but not for CIA. I would see if he could do State, keeping in mind that he has no management experience that I know of. But knowing that such a high quality name is in the stable is very heartening.
Most of the people they mention for CIA are from the signals intelligence side. This is a shame, as we need to continue to beef up human intelligence from a rather pathetic state. |
I'm sure there are enough ex-Senators and Congressmen kicking around who would be able to do a good job on the management side. The problem with finding someone for the head of the CIA who'd be able push HumInt over Signals Intellignce successfully.
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04-08-2003 08:42
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