March 15, 2005

SET IT OFF (via Daniel Merriman):

The Note (MARK HALPERIN, MARC AMBINDER and LISA TODOROVICH, March 14, 2005, ABC News)

Now, per ABC News' Jon Karl:

Condoleezza Rice sure tried to close the door on running for President yesterday (Will somebody please ask her about vice president?), but today she'll announce a couple of high-powered hires that make it clear the State Department is becoming the kind of power center it hasn't been since the days of James Baker . . . or maybe even Henry K.

ABC News has learned that at about noon ET today, Rice will appear in the ornate Benjamin Franklin room with Karen Hughes. The President's most trusted advisor is running back to Washington not to rescue his Social Security plan, but to do something about America's image in the world (and maybe buff up Rice's image in the process).

Once confirmed, Ambassador Hughes' title will be Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy. And she's got some high-powered help: White House personnel diva Dina Powell will be Hughes' deputy and the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Egyptian-born Powell is just 31, but she's the highest-ranking Middle Eastern woman in the Administration and she speaks Arabic. When she wasn't helping the President pick his cabinet secretaries, Powell often traveled to the Middle East as a White House emissary on reform and women's rights in the Arab world.

With Rice, Hughes, and Powell all at the State Department, the women who were closest to the President over the past four years (besides the First Lady, of course) will all be going to work at Foggy Bottom. Throw Liz Cheney into the mix (she started as an Assistant Secretary of State two weeks ago) and you have some real VP firepower over there as well.


No other president's A team has ever been all women.

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 15, 2005 11:59 AM
Comments

Hillary recently said that governance by females would be better than that by males.

That new crew at State seems perfect to eliminate the cobwebs and atherosclerosis that has characterized its performance for decades.

Posted by: John J. Coupal at March 15, 2005 12:38 PM

If this is one of those "reference" titles that earns us a free book, you're referring to the movie "Set It Off" with Jada Pinkett about four female bank robbers.

Posted by: Just John at March 15, 2005 2:05 PM

No "astrofix" (as an old Southern friend used to call *), no book. My understanding, at least.

Posted by: ghostcat at March 15, 2005 2:22 PM

I wonder how long it will take for the Women of State to get their cycles synched up.

Posted by: Governor Breck at March 15, 2005 2:37 PM

Don't forget about all the women under Clinton who were right at the heart, er, nether regions, of power.

Posted by: ratbert at March 15, 2005 4:12 PM

George's Angels.

Posted by: Genecis at March 15, 2005 6:22 PM

Guv,
I dare you to say that at Harvard.

Posted by: John J. Coupal at March 15, 2005 7:50 PM

Clinton's "A" team was entirely women, under his probable definition of "A."

Posted by: Steve at March 15, 2005 10:54 PM
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