Secretary of State Colin Powell's resignation is an expected, yet distressing, loss to the Bush administration. Powell was a voice of cautious moderation in a government viewed abroad as shockingly neoconservative and unilateral, especially with the advent of the "War on Terror" and the offensive in Iraq. Powell's departure, along with six other cabinet resignations, could signal a shift further right for the Bush administration.
It is no secret that Powell collided on issues with more unilateral members of the Bush cabinet, like Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice is viewed as the most likely to take on the Secretary of State post, and her views are more in line with the stauncher neo-conservatives. This is a loss, because a variety of viewpoints are necessary in the group of advisors who determine U.S. policy.
Powell insists that he intended to only serve one term, but one must wonder if he was forced out by the Bush cabinet's well-documented obstinance to opposing views. His practical approach to foreign affairs caused disagreements with other advisors and made him unpopular. If the Bush administration did make Powell uncomfortable to the point where he felt the need to leave, it is a shame. A statesman with widespread foreign respect should not be discarded so easily.
Over the next few weeks, the cabinet makeup for Bush's second term will come into focus. Bush should fill the open slots with advisers who have a wide range of backgrounds and views within the Republican Party. This diversity of ideas will help prevent policies from becoming too ideologically based, help to find the best policy solutions and prevent poorly-thought out quagmires like Iraq.
Powell was a figure in the cabinet that most Americans could rally behind. His moderate stance and distinguished career gave him appeal to liberals who otherwise disliked the Bush cabinet. A staunch conservative, he approached war with a cautious eye due to his experiences as a soldier in Vietnam. He approached military action with what the Washington Post calls his "Pottery Barn" theory - if you break it, you own it. He was against ousting Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War because of the potential cost of an American occupation in Iraq.
Powell should be remembered as a Secretary of State who handled a particularly difficult point in American history. He navigated the response to terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, seemingly endless confrontations in Afghanistan and Iraq and an increasingly hostile international theatre. He was a U.S. diplomat admired by otherwise critical European nations and had widespread support across the United State and the world. His presence in the cabinet will be missed and hopefully his cautious method of foreign policy will be heeded by future secretaries of state as the correct and mature method of statecraft.
