A Matter of Character: on Foreign Policy
Colin Powell:
Powell’s job: diplomatic solutions & disagree with Rumsfeld
Once Bush decided [to invade Iraq], he never looked back. At that point he expected his White House staff to support him, but he allowed his Cabinet officers wider latitude. “People say that Rumsfeld and Powell are at war with each other,” an aide said.
“No kidding. They’re supposed to be. The State Department’s answer to most anything is diplomacy. The Defense Department’s answer to almost anything is weapons and warfare. The question is what is the right mix of those for each situation.
You want those differences of opinion to exist in any organization, and you have this ongoing dialogue. The glue that holds it together, according to management consultants, is mutual respect. If you respect one another, you’ll find the right balance.
So do Powell and Rumsfeld respect each other? I believe they do. Are their disagreements excessive? Are they dysfunctional? I’ve never seen that.“
Source: A Matter of Character, by Ronald Kessler, p.134-35
Aug 5, 2004
Donald Rumsfeld:
Rumsfeld’s job: military solutions & disagree with Powell
Once Bush decided [to invade Iraq], he never looked back. At that point he expected his White House staff to support him, but he allowed his Cabinet officers wider latitude. “People say that Rumsfeld and Powell are at war with each other,” an aide said.
“No kidding. They’re supposed to be. The State Department’s answer to most anything is diplomacy. The Defense Department’s answer to almost anything is weapons and warfare. The question is what is the right mix of those for each situation.
You want those differences of opinion to exist in any organization, and you have this ongoing dialogue. The glue that holds it together, according to management consultants, is mutual respect. If you respect one another, you’ll find the right balance.
So do Powell and Rumsfeld respect each other? I believe they do. Are their disagreements excessive? Are they dysfunctional? I’ve never seen that.“
Source: A Matter of Character, by Ronald Kessler, p.134-35
Aug 5, 2004
George W. Bush:
Foreign affairs is interpersonal leadership, not knowledge
To most Americans, Bush’s grasp of foreign affairs was symbolized by his inability in a TV interview during thee campaign to name the leaders of Taiwan, Pakistan, India, and Chechnya. But as Bush’s aides saw it, foreign affairs was all about leadership
and interpersonal skills. That had always been Bush’s strength, along with surrounding himself with smart, capable people.With Bush, Rice said, “The worst thing you can do is tell him you’re going to do something and then not do it.”
The next worst thing is to waste his time beating around the bush. “He is very straightforward himself and tends to like straightforward people,” Rice said. “You don’t want to spend a long time constructing a baroque argument for him.
I’ve watched him with many foreign leaders. His best relationship with foreign leaders are when he feels like they are being as straightforward with him as he is with them. He can do that past language barriers. He can sense the body language.”
Source: A Matter of Character, by Ronald Kessler, p.172-175
Aug 5, 2004
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