President-elect Bush did well in selecting his top foreign policy leaders. These appointments put his administration in as good a position as possible for assuming control of foreign policy in January.
The choice of Gen. Colin L. Powell will give the country a secretary of state with an unusual degree of trust at home and respect abroad. Powell’s experience in the military and his involvement in national affairs provide outstanding background for a secretary of state.
George W. Bush also made a fine selection in designating Condoleezza Rice to be his national security adviser. The Stanford University provost served as the top Russia expert for the National Security Council during the previous Bush administration. A brilliant academic as well, she has become a close adviser to the president-elect over the past 18 months.
The presence of Powell and Rice should assure that the new president will receive top-flight advice from a well-prepared staff. And Powell’s recent statements reinforce an impression that the foreign policy will be committed to both protecting America and supporting democracy in the world.
Like every administration, this one will face foreign policy challenges and crises. The administration will have to prove itself to enemies and to the American people. In tense situations, Bush and his advisers will make choices that will define what America can and will do in the world.
Like every presidential candidate, Bush spoke during the campaign in general terms about his foreign policy positions. It’s clear that he will seek a stronger military, a goal that must be pursued even at considerable budget cost. There will be difficult judgments for the new administration to make in regard to how much military support to give to peacemaking operations. There is frequently more benefit to the national interest in United Nations operations than the Bush campaign seemed to acknowledge. Freed of the need to campaign, the new president may be better able to support some noncombat uses of U.S. troops abroad.
President-elect Bush comes to office with less record of interest in world affairs than his predecessors. As he confronts a dangerous world, he will face choices that determine how well this nation is protected. No amount of staff experience can guarantee that the administration will make the best calls for a rapidly changing world. The final decisions, moreover, must depend on the president’s judgment, not his advisers’.
In choosing Powell and Rice, the president-elect has surrounded himself with people whom he and the American public can trust to be extraordinarily knowledgeable and committed to the nation’s welfare and its values. That’s an excellent starting point.
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