The Foreign Service Journal, February 2005

April 2002 trip to the Middle East. I attempted to call one of the staffers accompanying him, but when I dialed her cell number, the Secretary unexpectedly answered. Thinking the staffer might be with him, I apologized for the interruption and asked if she was available. Sec. Powell informed me he had “stolen” her phone, and politely asked if he could take a message. I begged off, saying I would call her in the control room. He told me that she was not in the control room, and that he would be happy to take a message. I hesitat- ed, and he asked jovially, “What, you don’t think I can take a message?” I laughed and told him who was look- ing for his staffer. When the staffer called back a few hours later, she related that the Secretary had boarded the plane and said, “The Ops Center didn’t think I could take a mes- sage. You are supposed to call __.” Even though we now knew the Secretary was very capable of taking messages, we made her promise that if he ever stole her cell phone again, she would let us know! Do I need to state the obvious? We can only hope that all future Secretaries of State are as kind and human as Secretary Powell! Andrea Brouillette-Rodriguez Human Rights Officer United States Interests Section, Havana v He Never Used His Ace-in-the-Hole I retired from the Foreign Service just as Colin Powell replaced Madeleine Albright. So I speak as an outside- insider — perhaps the best position for objectivity. Colin Powell brought to State a focus on institution- building, which is what the military does (and does far bet- ter than the Foreign Service) in between occasional wars. He brought us lessons of team-building and morale-build- ing that the military knows well and we in the Foreign Service do not. And what a change! He attended every annual meeting of FS/CS retirees; he tried to attend as many ambassadorial swearings-in as he could. He cared, F O C U S 58 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