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Bush Considers Cabinet Reshuffle
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| quote: | President to Consider Changes for New Term
High-Profile Departures Are Rumored
By Jim VandeHei and Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writers
President Bush said yesterday that he will spend the weekend considering changes in his Cabinet for his second term, feeding speculation inside and outside the White House over shake-ups in key agencies in coming weeks.
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The most intense speculation centers on Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, whose rumored retirement would reconfigure the war team and perhaps lead to a broader reshuffling of Bush's national security team. Powell, however, has told friends he might stay for a few months or well into next year.
Tom Ridge, the secretary of homeland security, has told his friends he is likely to depart at the beginning of next year, people who know him said.
The domestic agencies might see more major changes, administration officials said. While a few Cabinet heads, including Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, are rethinking retirement plans in the wake of the GOP's triumph in Tuesday's election, several departures are considered highly likely in the weeks and months ahead. Attorney General John D. Ashcroft tops this list. He wants to leave for health and personal reasons , and the White House would like to replace him, a person who recently spoke with Ashcroft said.
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Powell and his deputy, Richard L. Armitage, have long been expected to leave the administration when Bush's first term ends. Powell is highly popular among the career diplomats at the State Department and publicly has remained coy about his plans, saying he "serves at the pleasure of the president."
But associates and friends say he has often expressed frustration with his limited influence in foreign policy under Bush and a desire to step down after four years on the job. Armitage, Powell's closest friend, has told associates he will stay at the State Department as long as Powell does and not one day more.
The leading candidate to replace Powell appears to be U.N. Ambassador John C. Danforth, a former senator and an ordained minister popular with the religious conservatives who helped provide Bush's margin of victory. |
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...6-2004Nov4.html
It'll be good to see Ashcroft go (hopefully he'll be replaced by someone a bit more moderate) but I'm pretty bummed about Powell going. He was the only true diplomat in that administration and the only one with a modicum of common sense in his approach to foreign policy. Also, the possibility that he's going to be replaced with a conservative Christian minister worries me - a lot.
Thoughts? |
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| Q5echo |
| i heard Condi Rice may get Secretay of State? |
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| Yoepus |
very happy to see Mr. Ashcroft go. He simply was not a very bright man. Don't know where they dug him up.
I don't think Powell will go. I don't know if I feel he should or not. I don't think it will hurt to give somebody else a try. Like it or not we must realize Powell has failed in his diplomatic missions.
Rummy might have failed the war planning part, but he certainly pulled off the war, and although not the victory we wanted, it will look to be a victory at the end of th eday eventually.
Powell failed in his diplomatic mission, and there doesn't seem to be any glimps of victory there. It might be good to get some new blood - not that I think it will change much - but I don't think it will hurt much either to change Powell.
In all honesty I really don't care.
If I were to chose, I'd take Condi Rice out as my first pick.
If Powell wants to resign, I'd let him, otherwise I wouldn't care.
I might want to do something with the homeland guy too - he seems overhyped and without the charisma or skill to kill bureacuracy and merge them. I'd try and get maybe Lou Gersner or some other top-exec or Guliani for that post. All I know is that Mr. Ridge hasn't done much.
And I'd defintely keep Rummy there. He's my hero:p |
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| josh4 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Yoepus
Rummy might have failed the war planning part, but he certainly pulled off the war, and although not the victory we wanted, it will look to be a victory at the end of th eday eventually.
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You know thats what I hate. Eventually Iraq is going to regroup and restablize, hopefully for the better. But these guys are going to sit back and say I told you so like it was all because of them. All they did was drop a bomb on the place and let the rest of the world clean up the mess. The same means could have been accomplished in the same timeframe through meticulous diplomacy and hard agendas. Not to mention without the loss of human lives. But hey, they wouldn't be as rich then would they. |
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| Yoepus |
| quote: | Originally posted by josh4
The same means could have been accomplished in the same timeframe through meticulous diplomacy and hard agendas |
Exaclty my point. Don't blame the failure of diplomacy on Rummy - blame it on the state department and Powell.
Give credit where credit is due. |
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| Shakka |
Meanwhile, Shakka considers the Ickey Shuffle...
I don't know why, but it's Friday, and I simply don't feel like arguing today. Let there be glee and laughter.:D |
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| Q5echo |
| quote: | Originally posted by josh4
You know thats what I hate. Eventually Iraq is going to regroup and restablize, hopefully for the better. But these guys are going to sit back and say I told you so like it was all because of them. All they did was drop a bomb on the place and let the rest of the world clean up the mess. The same means could have been accomplished in the same timeframe through meticulous diplomacy and hard agendas. Not to mention without the loss of human lives. But hey, they wouldn't be as rich then would they. |
who wouldn't be as rich as they would? |
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| LiquidX |
| IM happy to see Ashcroft go, but scared to see who will replaced him. It was obvious to See Powell go ( it's been getting announced for a while now ) .. Powell was, perhaps the only intelligent been on the whole cabinet. He knew the president f*cked up big time, but it's obvious Powell was not going to say it, what better way but to get the heck out of there. Ive heard that Condo. Rice was getting out too.. but I don't know more then that. I truly hope he does some picks that can at least give a small dot of brightness. |
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