[Ann Archy]

So what's your assessment of Powell??

[waxhaw]

Powell is a mere figurehead and has no genuine clout; in my opinion the last half-way decent SecState was George Shultz under President Reagan. The State Dept. was already a mess when Clinton took office and it became steadily worse as each year passed. The majority of our current ambassadors do not work for the U.S. nor its citizens, they work on behalf of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This started under Bush Sr. and has never ended; Bush Jr. is continuing the process.