Posted on 06/21/2003 11:40:23 AM PDT by lilylangtree
“Many people at State want to embarrass the president,” explains a State Department official--a comment echoed by others at Foggy Bottom alarmed that some of their colleagues are so brazen as to openly plot against the commander in chief. Some of those wishing to harm President Bush politically are now in Iraq, where the president's vision of a free Iraq is being fought by State officials on a regular basis.
Of course much of the rhetoric could be nothing more than boastful bravado--particularly since such comments actually help in a building teeming with people who openly despise Bush and want him to lose in 2004--but State's actions have clearly undermined the president, and it is only a matter of time until it takes a political toll. In that vein, the White House would be wise to heed the advice of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who is renewing his calls for a “top-to- bottom transformation” of Foggy Bottom.
Although Gingrich's latest critique--an article in Foreign Policy magazine--will no doubt be labeled a “broadside,” it is a relatively modest set of concrete proposals. Chief among them is increasing language proficiency of foreign service officers, in part by offering generous bonuses, so that the officers can better communicate with the locals in the countries where they are stationed.
Two other “radical” suggestions are more comprehensive continuing education programs and one-year sabbaticals after the sixth year and two-year hiatuses after the 14th year.
Though he pared back his original emphasis in the American Enterprise Institute speech two months ago on State's incompetence, the title of Gingrich's article, “The Failure of Diplomacy,” implies something about State that probably isn't accurate. The natural conclusion one would draw from the headline is that State somehow does not achieve what it sets out to accomplish. The real problem, though, is that State is incredibly effective at accomplishing its objectives. Look at the record.
State wanted Baathists to remain as a significant part of the post- Saddam transitional authority in Iraq, in large part because Foggy Bottom officials believed that those Saddam loyalists were the only ones with the requisite knowledge and skill sets to manage the country effectively. Until new civilian administrator Paul Bremer issued a sweeping de-Baathification order last month--banishing 15,000 to 30,000 former high-ranking party members from holding any public office--State was successful in installing Saddam loyalists into any number of key positions. One of the most vivid examples was State reinstating as president of Baghdad University Saddam Hussein's personal physician.
Despite President Bush's inclusion of Iran in the “axis of evil,” State managed to initiate talks with the reigning mullahs. This was no small feat. The approved talking points for the meeting were changed from the friendly tone State wanted to a much harsher one endorsed by the so-called “hawks,” but having the talks at all with a government that might be on the brink of collapse was a victory in and of itself.
Proving that they are, in fact, exceedingly skillful bureaucrats, State officials managed to conceal for three weeks North Korea's March 31 admission to them that it was reprocessing plutonium--the first time Pyongyang had conceded that. Had State told the White House and the Pentagon, the talks with North Korea and China slated to start on April 23 in Beijing likely would have been canceled. But because of State's “shielding” of the information, the talks went off as planned.
Gingrich's proposed structural fixes of State could have a substantial impact. But it's hard to imagine that organizational reform alone will cure State's corrosive culture. If anything, Gingrich's modest proposals do not go far enough in reforming Foggy Bottom. There are many talented and dynamic foreign service officers, but they are outnumbered by those who adhere to State's culture, as Gingrich puts it, “that props up dictators, coddles the corrupt, and ignores secret police forces.”
If the White House and Congress fail to act on Gingrich's recommendations, President Bush's policy goals could be jeopardized. If they fail to go even further by bringing in fresh blood and outside leadership, the president's political goals--namely re-election next year--could be jeopardized as well.
"The U.S. diplomat now assigned to help decide who will lead Iraq is Robin Rafael, the same woman who, in 1996, helped choose the Taliban to take control in Afghanistan. Rafael obviously had no idea at the time the true nature of the threat posed by the Taliban, but there were plenty of indications that she--and the rest of State Department--willingly ignored."
And this American Robin Rafael is among the key players in selecting the new leadership for Iraq. She okayed Saddam's personal physician, Mohammed al-Rawi, to be installed as president of Baghdad University, allowing the Baathists to retain control over the school. Ahmed Makki Saaed, a powerful party member whose wife is Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, the microbiologist whose work on biological weapons for Saddam caused her to be known as "Mrs. Anthrax," is also still in place at Baghdad University as head of its computer programs.
Looks like Bush and Powell are setting themselves up to not succeed in Iraq. Since State is also in charge of the road map, Bush and Powell won't succeed there either since the road map is to Israel's detriment.
Bush needs to clean house at State - starting with Powell. This Department has been out of control for FAR too long, and if Powell won't do something about it then he's just a continuation of the problem.
One of my high hopes for BII was that he'd make this one of his top priorities. It looks like it's not even on his radar. Pitty.
But the size of government is growing, so we've got that going for us.
That's why any true Republican who wishes to reform government in any meaningful way and to return it to the control of the electorate must make membership in either CFR or the Trilateral Commission an automatic disqualification from government service.
These traitors know what they are doing, in their minds it is a good idea, their purpose is the sovietization of the world, If the U.S. has to be destroyed in the process they are happy to do it.
No, that is wrong.
Surely, you have heard the old saying: "Keep your enemies closer". The last thing you want is a large group of disgruntled fired liberals free to spout off to the Media on all things formerly secret, now that they are no longer bound by their jobs from speaking. In addition to that, firing people does not remove them from their relationships with foreigners working against the country.
Best to keep them in house, watched and under wraps, then to let them roam free without any control whatsoever and a grudge at that. You do not fire people with state secrets so that they can end up on 60 Minutes the next afternoon. Gingrich is playing bad cop to Colin Powell's good cop, letting people know indirectly that they are being watched.
Dont be so reactionary. They know what they are doing.
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