The editor of an American magazine who is exceptionally savvy politically was in town this week and had breakfast with some local journalists, including myself.
One of my questions was whether he judged that President George W. Bush had actually meant the comparatively encouraging comments he recently made about a possible Israeli-Palestinian peace deal — when Bush said he wanted to use his political "capital" to create a democratic Palestinian state during his second four-year term — or had only said this to help out his election-bound buddy, British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
As America's top diplomat Rice, thus, will have one significant advantage over Powell. Whenever she speaks, the world will know that it is Bush speaking. The price the world will pay for this is that from now on there will be only one voice, one attitude, one single, simple theme, coming out of Washington.
Yes, it's evolving back to the rule that might is right.
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