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Purging the State Department

This sort of story is pretty commonplace nowadays, but Warren Strobel reports: "State Department political appointees have sidelined career weapons experts who don't share their animosity to arms control agreements and have placed less experienced political operatives in key slots, according to 10 current and former officials and documents obtained by Knight Ridder."

Meanwhile, SALT I, the 1991 treaty that is currently the "only mechanism for verifying U.S. and Russian nuclear arms cuts" is set to expire in three years, and the Bush administration is in the middle of purging any State Department expert with experience in arms control. Luckily, though, their replacements will all be "loyal" to the president and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, and we all know that's almost as good as expertise.

Posted by Bradford Plumer on 02/07/06 at 4:40 PM | E-mail | Print

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Comments

This is to be expected in a government with an Imperial Presidency! Bush is side-lining any and all oposition to his policies. This is a dictatorship in the making.

Posted by: kfdan on 02/07/06 at 11:45 PM

"This is a dictatorship in the making"

More along the lines of a court, with favourites being rewarded for reinforcing the world view of the monarch rather than speaking truth to power. Just recently this has become apparent with Rove threatening the party...Republicans with the metaphorical 'stones' to object to the executive branch barking out orders should be slightly incensed that the deputy is giving them marching orders.

Posted by: James on 02/08/06 at 5:59 AM