The appointment of John Bolton to be our UN Ambassador is a welcome move. He is tough and articulate and will send the correct message to the entire world that even the UN has to have accountability. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times at Conference of Presidents meetings and on one occasion recently was part of a small group who met with him in his suite at the Waldorf during a UN General Assembly meeting where many Heads of State attended. My impression of him is highly positive, and his outspokenness will hopefully resemble the Pat Moynihan representation at the UN.
We wish Asst. Sec. of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz much Mazal in his new position as head of the World Bank. His departure will be a loss for Sec. Rumsfeld, and our country. He will be sorely missed. It is part of the break-up of the team at the Pentagon, that has brought an American turnaround in our world posture in the battle against Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism.
We were sorry to see that Asst Sec Dov Zackheim likewise left the Pentagon leadership team to return to the private sector. However, the DOD’s loss is our gain, as he now serves on the IPA (Institute for Public Affairs of the OU) Executive Committee. It is certainly valuable to hear his thoughts and input on public policy issues.
We can only hope that the rumors one reads about from time to time about Rumsfeld retiring are not true. His clear vision on security issues has been right on target. Even though the post invasion policies in Iraq did not live up to the accuracies and planning acumen that we noted in our victory in Afghanistan and Iraq, Rumsfeld has distinguished himself as having an understanding of America’s military needs in the decades ahead. Beyond that, he has the repect of the President and the majority of Congress.
