The Washington Times has a tough editorial today essentially supporting the critique of the U.S. State Department offered last week by verbal bomb-thrower Newt Gingrich. Among other good points, they point out that Newt's criticism is a re-expression of a sober 1991 (pre-Bush) bipartisan report that recommended three things: creation of a Homeland Security department, Pentagon reform, and State Dept. reform. Two of the three are well underway.
Because, make no mistake about it, the issue of State Department ineffectiveness is a deeply substantive, structural matter of vital and immediate importance to our national security. There is a broad, currently silent majority in Congress - both liberals and conservatives — who are not at all sanguine about the State Department's bureaucratic ineptitude and resistance to both congressional and presidential guidance over the last decades. Congress only lacks leadership and courage on this matter to give full voice to their deep concerns.
Posted by Alan at April 29, 2003 08:59 PM