Why Powell Had to Go

[kskiska]

And how will Condi fare as his successor?

By Fred Kaplan

And so the other shoe has dropped on the sad career of Colin Powell. Here is a man who enjoyed the most appealing life story in American politics. The son of Jamaican immigrants who pulled up his own boot straps in the Bronx; a Vietnam vet who rose through the Army's ranks to general, national security adviser, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and secretary of state; a proud black man who could have made a serious run for president under either party's banner—chewed up and spit out on the shard-strewn sidewalk of Losers' Boulevard.

(snip)

In recent months, he's been hammering his own coffin, making little effort to hide his displeasure while serving a president who famously demands loyalty. On the record, Powell has told reporters that the insurgency in Iraq has grown stronger and that he might not have supported the war if he'd known Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction. On background, he and his closest aides have vented their frustrations and criticisms more harshly, most notably (but by no means exclusively) in his old friend Bob Woodward's latest book.

(snip)

The good news: Rice is among Bush's closest advisers, so foreign leaders will at least know that her words reflect the views of the president. Her appointment may also provide, at least in the short term, a morale boost among foreign service officers—a note of compensation for the departure of their cherished Powell that the State Department is now run by someone who has the president's ear and trust.

The bad news: In her four years as national security adviser, Rice has displayed no imagination as a foreign-policy thinker. She was terrible—one of the worst national security advisers ever—as a coordinator of policy advice. And to the extent she found herself engaged in bureaucratic warfare, she was almost always outgunned by Vice President Dick Cheney or Rumsfeld. Last year, for instance, the White House issued a directive putting her in charge of policy on Iraqi reconstruction; the directive was ignored. If Rumsfeld and his E-Ring gang survive the Cabinet shake-up, Rice may wind up every bit as flummoxed as her predecessor.

more…
http://slate.com/id/2109772/

[aquart]

1. "Flummoxed"? Doesn't he mean "humiliated"?

And I do so hope Condi gets it in full measure.

[gordianot]

2. Truly sad State of affairs all the way around.

Sorry for the pun interesting article. Thanks

[ze_dscherman]

3. Steve Bell's comment

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1352320,00.html

[Skittles]

4. Ms. Rice is as incompetent as Bush

she sucks, bigtime

[MattWinMO]

5. Condi Rice....

Doesn't put enough faith in diplomacy to be Secretary of State, which is strange considering that's the State Department's job. Dick Lugar would be a better Secretary of State.