CRAWFORD HIGH SCHOOL, CENTRAL TEXAS – Bush and Cheney are racing the clock to assemble an administration in half the time normally available as a result of the five-week election dispute in Florida, which finally ended Wednesday with Gores concession.
President-elect George W. Bush nominated retired Gen. Colin Powell to be secretary of state Saturday, the first of a string of such announcements to be made in the days and weeks to come. If confirmed by the Senate, Powell would be the highest-ranking black official in U.S. history.
On Saturday, Powell joined Bush and Vice President-elect Dick Cheney in the gymnasium of Crawford High School, a few miles from Bushs remote ranch in central Texas, for the historic announcement.
After reciting Powells many military decorations and accomplishments, Bush praised his designated secretary as a great American hero.
Bush stressed that he and Powell would pursue a moderate, bipartisan foreign policy: Our next secretary of state believes, as I do, that we must work closely with our allies and friends in times of calm so we may be able to work with them in times of crises.
This is a moment of great opportunity, and my administration will seize it. America has unique power and unmatched influence, and we will use it in the service of democracy, Bush said.
The president-elect obliquely addressed the concerns of critics who have suggested he is a detached manager who would cede too much authority over national security to Cheney and Powell. As president, I will set our priorities, and we will stand by them, Bush insisted.
Powell echoed Bushs sentiment. We are up to the task, he said. President-elect Bush has given us the guidance we need.
Powell, who throughout his career has downplayed his history of breaking racial barriers, noted that news reports of his appointment would note that he would be the first secretary of state who is black, a phrase he has criticized in the past.
Saturday, Powell said: I am glad they will say that. I hope it will give inspiration to young African-Americans coming along. …
There are no limitations on you.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms, R-N.C., said Powell will make an exceptional secretary of state and promised to gain his Senate confirmation before Bushs Jan. 20 inauguration. The committees ranking Democrat, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, said he would work with Helms to move the nomination quickly. At the present time, I foresee no problems, Biden said, calling Powell a man of great integrity.
Powell did not get into details of his planned strategy, saying President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright were still responsible for foreign policy. Instead, he laid out a list of mainstream Republican concerns, stressing rebuilding the military and support for Israel in particular; he also had tough language for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, whom he opposed in the Persian Gulf War.
