The Foreign Service Journal, February 2005

F O C U S 26 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 5 admitted that television ads were designed to demon- strate the difference between Republicans and Democrats on “whether or not a policy of pre-emptive self-defense is the best approach to protecting our national security.” The rest of Bush’s foreign policy is as much an extension of domestic politics as the war was and is designed to serve the desires of the administration’s core constituencies. Family-planning aid to the world’s poor was cut off to please the anti-abortion crowd. Policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was tai- lored to the biblical visions of the religious right. Moves to limit the small arms that sustain the civil wars in Africa were thwarted to please the National Rifle Association. While Powell was the consummate loyalist, he did occasionally dare to suggest more moderate options to the president. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will undoubtedly be far worse. She is known only for her loyalty and closeness to Bush. At the CIA, Porter Goss is not weeding out those who had it wrong about Iraq. He is eliminating those who were disloyal enough to leak the fact that they had their doubts about the evidence offered to justify the war. Since many of those who doubted the case for war are at State, Rice may conduct a witch-hunt of her own. But Powell is beyond worrying about the fate of State. He will soon be back on the speaking circuit making double the $60,000 he used to charge for his 20-minute motivational speech. He will also undoubt- edly serve on innumerable corporate boards and get a huge advance for his memoirs. Churchill once said: “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.” For that reason Powell will put a lot of effort into his version of his time as Secretary of State. Unfortunately for Powell’s legacy, the historians will also weigh in, however. And it would take a major literary miracle to find accomplishment in a record noteworthy mainly for subservience and devotion to self-interest. n