The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 3 of 3)

br> Word is that Secretary of State Colin Powell was surprised by President Bush's decision to ask him to step aside last Friday. Over the weekend, the news of Powell's unceremonious dumping began to leak out at private cocktail parties and dinners. /p>

To be fair, Bush has treated the exit of Cabinet members with equal swiftness and candor, according to White House sources. "There has been thanks for their service, clear gratitude, but that it was time for a change and a shakeup. No one should be surprised by this," says an insider.

Powell, however, unlike Ashcroft, Abraham, Veneman and Paige, didn't expect to get the ax so quickly. According to State Department sources, with the death of Palestinian terrorist Yasser Arafat, Powell expected to be kept on at least to get the ball re-rolling on the long-stalled Bush Administration "road map" peace plan. Now it appears the opening created by recent events will be filled by a Bush protégé.

p> CARRYING CHARGES br> The Clinton Library is spending some of its hard-earned corporate donations to fly down more than 170 former Clinton White House staffers to the Little Rock dedication ceremonies. Not all of the 170 are going entirely gratis, however. Only about 50 of Clinton's closest advisers are making the three-day trip cost-free. The library will pick up all expenses for those special few, excluding incidentals. br> /p>

topics:
Hillary Clinton, Business, Environment, NATO, Energy