Advisers Will Likely Change if Bush Wins

[TSIAS]

(snip)

By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites)'s national security team, which has stayed remarkably intact despite missteps in Iraq and his slumping approval ratings, is likely to undergo a major facelift if Bush wins a second term. Maybe even before.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is expected to be first out the door in a second Bush administration — unless Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld resigns before then amid a deteriorating situation in Iraq.

CIA Director George Tenet has weathered many controversies under two presidents, but his days also may be numbered.

National security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will likely be asked by Bush to stay, although perhaps in a different capacities.

Rice is not keen to serve again as national security adviser, viewing it as a burnout job, a Rice associate said.

-more-

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040523/ap_on_el_pr/team_bush&cid=694&ncid=716

[Teaser]

1. Off Topic: Whose picture is your avatar?

She's amazing.

[TSIAS]

4. Michelle Branch (n/t)

[Cooley Hurd]

15. OT - I love Michelle Branch!!!

Extremely talented - loved it when she did "Empty Handed" on Conan O'Brien a month or two ago!

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. National Security Advisor is a burnout job?

You know that there are people in this world who were born to fill that position. Like fish in water. The fact that Rice doesn't feel comfortable in it says a lot.

[Flubadubya]

6. Interminable, incessant, and relentless LYING...

could tend to "burn one out". If she were better at lying, it wouldn't bother her so much. :grr:

[punpirate]

3. The power currently resides with the Secretary of Defense....

My guess is that Rumsfeld will be out in 2005, if Bush wins, but Powell will angle for Rumsfeld's job, while leaving the now less powerful Dept. of State to Rice.

Powell has always traded on his image as a moderate, and will use that to work his way into the real power in the White House, the Defense Department.

If Powell can't manage that, both he and Rumsfeld will be out of a job, and Wolfowitz will assume position as Sec. of Defense.

As things get progressively worse, in terms of the election, the greater will be Powell's influence. It's all about perceptions of the White House political arm--the worse it gets, the better it will be for Powell. I don't think Powell will quit if he thinks he can achieve more power by staying.

[truthisfreedom]

5. moot. bush won't.

[Charles19]

7. Source?

This seems to me like something that was sent out for disinformation purposes but not likely true. The purpose of which was to make people who haven't made up their mind yet about the election to hope some of those moves are made. Like moderates would rather Powell as Sec of Defense while the War Against the World Radicals would love to see Wolfowitz take the post.

Thir reporter isn't exactly batting 1000.

[susu369]

11. Excellent post

You are right on, Charles19, IMHO. Thanks for link.

This article doesn't even make sense on many levels. Rice believes her current job equates a burnout—but then she may take the Defense Secretary position. ??????

Wolfowitz, who doesn't even know how many Americans have been killed in Iraq, has lost all accountability.

Incompetents - all of them.

[newyawker99]

17. Hi Charles19!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[PATRICK]

8. Don't count on too much change

Only those who leave voluntarily and insist are likely to go. I wouldn't even be surprised to see Powell still there though now that they don't need to fear his interference in rivaling a second term they might pave the way for him.

Nixon said he should have changed a lot more of his staff. The second term has different objectives and everyone tends to go stale. HE did not do that. Bush is incapable of learning from history, is fearfully loyal to his cronies, could barely fill his own staff in the first place. The clique of power cannot ever change for Bush or he would be adrift, his whole presidency vaporized. Outside of them he might appoint nearly anyone capable of ruining various departments.

After all is he going to appoint the other side of his father's cronies, the ones who would have counseled against war and are not nutty neocons? His brother? This man of limited acumen has even more limited choices from a shrinking and insufficient pool of trust and competence.

The whole idea evokes a scornful laugh. Props, figureheads and the same old trusted hitmen.

These sorts of media gems are quadrennial, pompous, in this case utterly at variance with reality. These puff pieces are meant to lend a false hope for new vigor in a failed and doomed presidency that never should have been.

[xultar]

9. Condi Rice - Press Secretary, Tom Ridge Secretary of the Duh! n/t

[west michigan]

10. Why change?

When * was appointed we were innundated with the idea that he was a c.e.o. president with a great team of adults surrounding him. As if a dream team would compensate for *'s lack of experience. Wait a minute ...I need to stop thinking.....I'll just move along.

[Dover]

12. ....and they'll DEFINITELY change when he loses.

That seems the better choice, wouldn't you agree?

[sofa king]

13. "Joined at the hip"?

Isn't that a press euphemism for "screwing"? I seem to recall that Newt Gingrich's intern/third wife was once described as "joined at the hip" with him.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

14. Tenet won't be going anywhere. The CIA is the group doing the most...

...damage to the NeoCons these days...and Tenet has LOTS of friends in high places supporting his efforts. Junior and the rest of his NeoCon gang will depart long before Tenet does...in fact, they should be getting the boot in November.

[trapper914]

16. Condi's gone...

...at least that was reported around the time of her 9/11 testimony.

[John_H]

18. LOL! Desperation. I'll fire all those people you don't like if you just...

give me another chance.

[charlyvi]

19. Exactly...

Don't all of you think it's bizarre, and slightly desperate, to use cleaning your house of all present advisors as a selling point to re-selection? I mean, doesn't this look like none of them have done a good enough job; which, of course they haven't but it's strange that the administration should say so, no?

[sofa king]

20. The smartest rats are the first to leave the sinking ship.

I think that might make Ari Fleischer a chapter leader of RMENSA.

[dusty64]

21. Different criminals

same result, I'm sure.