Madam Secretary

"A Day for Departures" is how The New York Times titled the many announcements of departures made by members of the Bush administration. Right below that caption is this one, "As Her Star Wanes, Rice Tries to Reshape Legacy." Now maybe its just my cynicism taking over here but one could make the leap and assume that The New York Times maybe making a prediction or subliminally planting a seed in our heads. Whichever it is I think the positioning of the articles are quite interesting.

And who hasn't thought of whether or not Secretary of State Rice is the next to leave the White House please raise their hand. I sure have given it some thought especially after Carl Roves resignation and, as of yesterday, departure. Since Roves resignation there has been the resignation of Bush's spokesman Tony Snow and his Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. We now have Senator John Warner stating that he would retire at the end of his term and we will probably soon hear Senator Larry Craig resign after he was arrested for soliciting sex in a public bathroom. So the Times positioning of Dr. Rice's article may seem prescient.

The article talks not of Rice's resignation but her contemplation of her legacy as national security adviser and secretary of state. The article is typical Rice in that she is taciturn in her comments on what she sees as her legacy. The number one item that will follow her when she returns to Stanford, however, is the Iraqi war. Secretary of Rice is seen as one of the many "archetects" of the war and one that many people are unwilling to give absolution. It is also a decision, according to the article, Rice said that she would "accept peoples assessment" of. Maybe before her tenure is up she will have brokered a peace deal between the Isarelis and the Palestinians. Now there would be a real legacy.