Slowpoke_Rodrigo
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ANALYSIS
Bush woos Powell for Secretary of State job
By DAN K. THOMASSON
Scripps Howard News Service
May 25, 2000
- George W. Bush's first choice for secretary of state is Gen. Colin Powell, according to those close to the Texas governor's campaign. Powell, they said, has indicated he probably would accept.
At the same time, these sources said that Bush would be inclined to offer the job of defense secretary to his one-time nemesis, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Bush is being urged by some aides to announce his choices at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in August on the belief that both men are so popular and distinguished in their own right, that their prospective high-ranking participation in a Bush administration would attract independents and crossover Democratic votes.
From this standpoint, the naming of Powell and McCain as potential Cabinet members, would be more important to the campaign than the vice presidential selection. By attracting independents and crossover voters with McCain and Powell, Bush would be free to name a running mate who appeals more to the conservative voters on issues such as abortion.
The presence of Powell and McCain, also would go a long way toward subduing voter concerns about Bush's lack of expertise in foreign policy and national security, now being exploited by his opponent, Vice President Al Gore.
The governor is said to favor Condoleezza Rice for appointment as his national security adviser, the nation's second-ranking diplomatic post. Ms. Rice currently is Bush's top on-staff campaign adviser on foreign policy matters.
Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has made it abundantly clear that he will not run for office even if drafted to do so. He has repeatedly refused to seek the presidency despite polls showing that he would have an excellent chance of becoming the first African American to occupy the White House.
He also declined overtures to become Republican nominee Robert Dole's running mate in the 1996 election and would not accept a vice presidential offer from Gov. Bush, although the presumptive GOP nominee is said to have considered him as number one on his list of potential running mates.
Powell's reluctance to seek the presidency or join a presidential ticket, despite the surveys that continuously place him at the top among popular politicians, is widely believed to stem from his wife's fears for his safety. Mrs. Powell is said to have strong apprehensions about the vulnerability of the first black to be elected president or vice president.
But Powell and his wife, Alma, reportedly have expressed no such reservations about his accepting the high Cabinet post.
Powell, Rice and several former top-ranking foreign policy experts, including former Secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger were at Bush's side for a major foreign policy statement in Washington on Tuesday in which Bush announced that he would consider unilateral reduction in the nation's nuclear arsenal. The presence of so much expertise alongside the governor clearly was aimed at offsetting continuing challenges about his lack of foreign policy experience or understanding.
Why not Powell for secretary of defense, instead of state?
Powell has enormous worldwide recognition and respect. He would bring both a military and diplomatic understanding to the post at State. Enlisting Powell for this job also allows Bush to offer an equally high position to McCain, whose support is considered important to Bush's election hopes, particularly among moderates.
The Arizona lawmaker and Vietnam war hero is said to be tired of the Senate, where his efforts to reform campaign funding laws have been frustrated by the GOP leadership. Although generally considered a conservative, he is not particularly well-liked among fellow Republicans because of an abrasive, often pugnacious approach to disputes.
Losing McCain to the Cabinet would not hurt the majority the GOP is expected to maintain in the Senate. The appointment of a replacement would be controlled by the Republicans in Arizona.
Should McCain accept an offer to run the Defense Department, it would satisfy two potential problem blocs for Bush _ those who believe he should be chosen as the vice presidential nominee and those who fear he will be, namely religious conservatives angered by his primary attack on Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
Bush and McCain aren't great friends, but sources say they have put aside most of their differences and that Bush genuinely wants McCain in his administration.
Although candidates don't often announce who they will put in a Cabinet on the belief that voters will think they are presumptuous, some Bush strategists argue that the naming of two such visible personalities as Powell and McCain can do nothing but enhance the governor's stature and put pressure on Gore to try to respond in kind.
(Dan K. Thomasson is former editor of the Scripps Howard News Service.)
------------------
Slowpoke Rodrigo...he pack a gon...
"That which binds us together is infinitely greater than that on which we disagree" - Neal Knox
I'll see you at the TFL End Of Summer Meet!
Bush woos Powell for Secretary of State job
By DAN K. THOMASSON
Scripps Howard News Service
May 25, 2000
- George W. Bush's first choice for secretary of state is Gen. Colin Powell, according to those close to the Texas governor's campaign. Powell, they said, has indicated he probably would accept.
At the same time, these sources said that Bush would be inclined to offer the job of defense secretary to his one-time nemesis, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Bush is being urged by some aides to announce his choices at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in August on the belief that both men are so popular and distinguished in their own right, that their prospective high-ranking participation in a Bush administration would attract independents and crossover Democratic votes.
From this standpoint, the naming of Powell and McCain as potential Cabinet members, would be more important to the campaign than the vice presidential selection. By attracting independents and crossover voters with McCain and Powell, Bush would be free to name a running mate who appeals more to the conservative voters on issues such as abortion.
The presence of Powell and McCain, also would go a long way toward subduing voter concerns about Bush's lack of expertise in foreign policy and national security, now being exploited by his opponent, Vice President Al Gore.
The governor is said to favor Condoleezza Rice for appointment as his national security adviser, the nation's second-ranking diplomatic post. Ms. Rice currently is Bush's top on-staff campaign adviser on foreign policy matters.
Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has made it abundantly clear that he will not run for office even if drafted to do so. He has repeatedly refused to seek the presidency despite polls showing that he would have an excellent chance of becoming the first African American to occupy the White House.
He also declined overtures to become Republican nominee Robert Dole's running mate in the 1996 election and would not accept a vice presidential offer from Gov. Bush, although the presumptive GOP nominee is said to have considered him as number one on his list of potential running mates.
Powell's reluctance to seek the presidency or join a presidential ticket, despite the surveys that continuously place him at the top among popular politicians, is widely believed to stem from his wife's fears for his safety. Mrs. Powell is said to have strong apprehensions about the vulnerability of the first black to be elected president or vice president.
But Powell and his wife, Alma, reportedly have expressed no such reservations about his accepting the high Cabinet post.
Powell, Rice and several former top-ranking foreign policy experts, including former Secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger were at Bush's side for a major foreign policy statement in Washington on Tuesday in which Bush announced that he would consider unilateral reduction in the nation's nuclear arsenal. The presence of so much expertise alongside the governor clearly was aimed at offsetting continuing challenges about his lack of foreign policy experience or understanding.
Why not Powell for secretary of defense, instead of state?
Powell has enormous worldwide recognition and respect. He would bring both a military and diplomatic understanding to the post at State. Enlisting Powell for this job also allows Bush to offer an equally high position to McCain, whose support is considered important to Bush's election hopes, particularly among moderates.
The Arizona lawmaker and Vietnam war hero is said to be tired of the Senate, where his efforts to reform campaign funding laws have been frustrated by the GOP leadership. Although generally considered a conservative, he is not particularly well-liked among fellow Republicans because of an abrasive, often pugnacious approach to disputes.
Losing McCain to the Cabinet would not hurt the majority the GOP is expected to maintain in the Senate. The appointment of a replacement would be controlled by the Republicans in Arizona.
Should McCain accept an offer to run the Defense Department, it would satisfy two potential problem blocs for Bush _ those who believe he should be chosen as the vice presidential nominee and those who fear he will be, namely religious conservatives angered by his primary attack on Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
Bush and McCain aren't great friends, but sources say they have put aside most of their differences and that Bush genuinely wants McCain in his administration.
Although candidates don't often announce who they will put in a Cabinet on the belief that voters will think they are presumptuous, some Bush strategists argue that the naming of two such visible personalities as Powell and McCain can do nothing but enhance the governor's stature and put pressure on Gore to try to respond in kind.
(Dan K. Thomasson is former editor of the Scripps Howard News Service.)
------------------
Slowpoke Rodrigo...he pack a gon...
"That which binds us together is infinitely greater than that on which we disagree" - Neal Knox
I'll see you at the TFL End Of Summer Meet!