More Powell
The Secretary of Squish
Here are a couple of thoughts that emerge from this report:
1) We continue to hear reports that Powell favors engagement in the Middle East. Well he's gotten his chance! Suddenly his allies are whining he's being set up to take the fall if it doesn't work!? Excuse me -- but the so-called "hawks" of the administration (Wolfowitz, et al), if reports are to be believed, have argued that the Powell approach cannot work! And now the Powell people are whining because.... the Wolfowitz crowd may have been right? Huh?!
or
2) Maybe this really is a grand game being played by the White House (as some have suggested), to appease the Euros and Arabs and see if it will work without wasting White House prestige. That way, hotheaded conservatives like me will all blame powell, and not the White House (well, not entirely true, but play along). If it works, great -- if not, the President maintains distance. In that sense, Powell is being hung out to dry a bit -- but let's all keep in mind this: THE SECRETARY OF STATE SERVES AT THE PLEASURE OF THE PRESIDENT. It's ALL about the President. If Powell has a problem serving the Commander in Chief, he should resign. He should not send his aides out to whine on background to reporters.
Either way, I have less respect for Powell than ever before. At least as a military man, he seemed once to understand the chain of command. As a political man who isn't President, he needs to instruct his "allies" in his department to quit whining to the press, and get on board.
[Posted at 17:58 CST on 04/15/02] [Link]
