The new face at Foggy Bottom
Condoleezza Rice has Bush's ear, but can she sell his ideas abroad?
In nearly four years as President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice was much more than just one of his top aides. She became a close confidant who regularly accompanied the first family to their Texas ranch, where she dined with them and joined them for walks through the bluebonnet fields and cedar groves. She became almost a family member.
In nominating Rice to be his next secretary of state, Bush is signaling the world (and all those doubtful State Department diplomats) that he has no intention of pulling back from his assertive post-9/11 foreign-policy agenda. Rice, the consummate insider who has the ear of the president, will be a sharp contrast to the departing Colin Powell, an American icon who was always a distinct outsider in the clubby Bush administration. Bush aides hope that Rice will be able to avoid the kind of infighting that roiled Bush's first term and to sell Bush's policies abroad. That won't be easy. Laments an anxious European envoy: "Now we have to worry whether the ideologues will somehow exert even more influence."
A purge? On a personal level, Rice will bring her immense charm and a touch of glamour to the buttoned-down world of diplomacy. Her story, like Powell's, is a compelling one of overcoming stereotypes and prejudice. An academic, pianist, and even figure skater, she is a respected Russia scholar who speaks several languages. But her discreet style has left many unclear about where she stands on some issues. Rice has told friends that she shares much of Bush's basic worldview (both are politically conservative and devout Christians) and sees a historic chance to reform the Mideast.
Rice won praise for her handling of crises, in particular the aftermath of 9/11. But she also faces a widespread perception that she presided over a dysfunctional National Security Council that was unable to manage the policy fights between the State Department and the Pentagon. In particular, officials say that she was unwilling--or unable--to prevent Vice President Cheney from intruding on her turf. Some Bush critics, including Republicans who served his father, fear that Rice's mission will be to rid the State Department of Bush policy critics--or at least neutralize them. "It looks like there will be a purge," says a former senior U.S. official who served two Republican presidents. "If you said hello to Colin in the halls, you're gone."
That may be hyperbole. But for Powell, who entered the job with a sterling reputation forged in his days as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the departure is bittersweet. He joined the Bush team expecting to pursue a more traditional Republican foreign policy, but in the wake of September 11, he found himself more often the odd man out. "The catchphrase for Powell's tenure has been damage control," says a top aide. "Not shaping policy or making policy, but damage control." Powell clashed repeatedly with Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, most notably over Iraq. However, he embraced the military ethos of serving the commander in chief--whether or not he agreed. "Powell's approach has been 'I am a good soldier,' " says one of his advisers. " 'Sometimes I'll win, and sometimes I'll lose.' "
In the end, Powell, 67, will most likely be remembered for his role surrounding the Iraq war. He did help persuade Bush to seek the support of the United Nations. In doing so, he also put a moderate face on the case for war. Aides say Powell now sees his low point as his Feb. 5, 2003, U.N. presentation of intelligence evidence on Iraq's presumed unconventional weapons programs--most of which turned out to be inflated, misleading, or simply false. Admits an aide, "It hurts me that we were so wrong."
For his part, Powell is proud of his role in improving ties to onetime adversaries Russia and China. He prodded nuclear rivals India and Pakistan toward promising peace talks and expanded anti-AIDS efforts in Africa. Powell also ranks as one of the State Department's best managers; he rejuvenated morale, mostly by relying heavily on career Foreign Service officers in senior positions. For Rice, who will arrive amid doubts over her ability to run the unwieldy agency, Powell will be a tough act to follow.
With Kenneth T. Walsh and Bay Fang
This story appears in the November 29, 2004 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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