Condi to succeed Powell?

Rumor has it that ABC is reporting that W has named Condi Rice to replace Colin Powell as Secretary of State. I think she'll be a welcome breath of fresh air to the stale, wishy-washy politicking of Colin Powell. While Powell was a great general and a great chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he wasn't much of a statesman -- or perhaps he was too much of a statesman in the Sec. of State role. While I've always greatly admired Colin Powell, there's always been a bit of an indiscernible void lurking within him. He's always seemed too prone to protocol and style over underlying substance. While I agree that adherence to protocol and measured decorum is very important to the position of Secretary of State, it should never be adhered to at the risk of undermining one's core. I think Powell did this to some extent. While I believe he is a man of conviction, he never bothered to incisively convey what those convictions are. While I believe he believed strongly in the mission in Iraq, he never brought the emphatic certainty to that position that the rest of the world needed to see. He is a great man who achieved great things in his life. However, if he had a bit more of the courage of his convictions, he could have ascended to a rarefied air not often seen in politics. Sadly, however, he's left me feeling a bit empty.

As for Condi, her core will determine her politicking, not vice-versa. She has a courage, intelligence, confidence and charm that will carry her far. It just may be that she is the unlikely hero to break from the pile and pick up the ball that Colin dropped on the way to his stardom -- and she may just take it all the way to the presidency.