WASHINGTON, 17 November 2004 — President George W. Bush nominated National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice yesterday to replace outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell, and appointed her deputy Stephen Hadley to replace Rice as national security adviser.
“I am honored that she (Rice) has agreed to serve in my Cabinet,” Bush said in a joint appearance with Rice in the White House’s Roosevelt Room, adding she would show the world “the strength, the grace and the decency of our country.” On Hadley, Bush said he was “a man of wisdom and good judgment” and stressed that “he has earned my trust.”
In what has rapidly become a sweeping second-term Cabinet overhaul, Bush thanked Powell, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and national security adviser, for working “tirelessly and selflessly” on behalf of the country.
Rice is the second White House loyalist to land a Cabinet post since Bush’s re-election triggered a top-tier Cabinet shake-up. White House counsel Alberto Gonzales is Bush’s nominee to replace Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Rice is considered more of a foreign policy hard-liner than Powell, and has been Bush’s national security adviser for four years. But while she is known worldwide, she does not hold the same status as Powell — the retired four-star general has higher popularity ratings than the president.
The news of her appointment caused mixed emotions. Commenting on Rice’s nomination, a headline in today’s Washington Post read: “Moves Cement Hard-Line Stance on Foreign Policy.” Rice’s appointment will “mark the triumph of a hard-edged approach to diplomacy espoused by Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld,” said the Post.
“Powell’s brand of moderate realism was often overridden in the administration’s councils of power, but Powell’s presence ensured that the president heard divergent views on how to proceed on key foreign policy issues... With Powell out of the picture, the long-running struggle over key policy issues is likely to be less intense.”
Observers note that by choosing Rice, Bush is signaling to the world that he is comfortable with the direction of his foreign policy during the past four years.
As the architect of Bush’s doctrine of pre-emption, Rice will likely face forceful questioning from Senate Democrats who opposed the US-led war against Iraq. But they will find it difficult not to look politically incorrect by voting against the confirmation of the first black woman secretary of state.
According to Republican officials, the selection of Rice reflects Bush’s determination to take personal control of the government in a second term.
But Rice, who is fiercely loyal to the president and his closest foreign policy adviser, is considered by many experts as being one of the weakest national security advisers in recent history in terms of managing interagency conflicts.
Rice not only had to manage two powerful Cabinet members with sharply different views — Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld — but also had to deal with Vice President Dick Cheney, who is said to weigh in on every major foreign policy issue.
Not everyone was happy to learn of her nomination. “We, as a nation, will survive this crowd,” a former Foreign Service career officer anonymously told Arab News. “And at State, we will also survive.”
He said Rice “was an unfortunate choice.” Pausing, he added: “I’m still in shock from Nov. 2 (elections), so don’t look for objectivity from me.” The former diplomat cautioned: “You have to watch who she imposes on the bureaucracy (State Department): If there are some real Neanderthals she puts in key positions, then watch out. We may just maintain this implacable situation in the world.”
