Bush's new cabinet appointees

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times has some harsh words regarding President Bush's appointments to recently vacated cabinet positions. Her main point is that loyalty is valued over competence by President Bush. Instead of promoting the most capable person for a particular job, President Bush promotes the most loyal person that is likely to suppress dissent. I have to admit that I do not have much confidence in the appointment of Ms. Rice to a position that is supposed to be diplomatic. She is viewed as a war hawk both inside and outside this country. Is she really the person to repair the damaged ties we have with other countries around the world? On the other hand, other countries are likely to truly believe that she is speaking for President Bush. This is an advantage that Colin Powell did not enjoy. While the world continues to look scarry, I wish that we had more of an experienced and gifted diplomat running our Department of State.

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