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Managing Editor: Jessica Blanchard
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EDITORIAL EDITOR: MICHAEL J. KLECKNER opededitor@journalist.com
Cabinet picks’ diversity
goes beyond the pale
AND
PROFITS
ERIC PFEIFFER
What does diversity
mean in the world of
politics? If you’re an
activist at the Univer
sity, it means increasing the cultur
al diversity on our campus, while
slamming the door shut on ideolog
ical diversity. Liberals rule the
land, and they don’t enjoy sharing
their power.
If you’re President-select George
W. Bush, it means the most diverse
cabinet nominations ever across
racial and gender lines. But when it
comes to politics, conservatives are
running the show.
Based solely on mainstream me
dia coverage, it’s all too easy to be
lieve that Bush has nominated a di
verse cabinet of thinkers that will
usher in a new era of bipartisan
ship and centrist policy.
Colin Powell, Bush’s nominee
for Secretary of State, a man possi
bly more popular than the incom
ing president himself, has been
hailed as the first sign of how Bush
will run the Oval Office. Yes, Pow
ell is an African-American. And
yes, Powell’s political views are
mostly centrist. He supports affir
mative action and is pro-choice.
But these distinctions have nothing
to do with his pending duties.
The Secretary of State does
not decide whether to go
to war in trimesters,
and a quota sys
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tem is not likely to be in place
when the bombs start falling. When
it comes to policy, Powell has a rep
utation for keeping the United
States out of conflict. He reluctant
ly supported the Gulf War, did not
support President Clinton’s efforts
to include gays in the military and
didn’t think we should have inter
vened in Bosnia. He didn’t even
think we should have
been dropping food or
medical supplies to
refugees who were
fleeing from Serbian
troops.
Former Missouri
Sen. John Ashcroft
is Bush’s nominee
for Attorney Gen
eral, the chief law
enforcement of
ficer in the
country.
Ashcroft is
well-known
on both sides
as a staunch
conservative
who oppos
es a
woman’s
right to
choose,
even in
cases of
rape or in
cest. He has
sponsored
initiatives
to break
down the separation of church and
state, opposed any forms of federal
gun control and led the fight
against Missouri’s first black ap
pointee to the federal court.
Powell and Ashcroft are just two
examples in the trend of Bush ap
pointments. A trend where indi
viduals are touted for their “di
verse
opinions and backgrounds, but are
placed in positions where their de
cision making will fall convenient
ly in line with the right-wing of the
Republican Party.
When Bush named Condaleeza
Rice as his National Security Advi
sor, the media focused on the fact
that she is both a woman and a mi
nority, who also happens to be pro
choice. It’s quite a role reversal in
the world of politics. Repub
licans have long been
the side to say that
race and gen
der should
not be
is
sues that the government gets in
volved in, but they are quick to
change their tune when a good
photo opportunity presents itself.
Almost none of the media attention
focused on Rice’s policy, positive
or negative.
Another element to consider is
the return of employees from the
original Bush administration. First,
and most obvious, is Dick Cheney,
Bush senior’s former Secretary of
Defense, and the incoming vice
president. Then there’s Powell, An
drew Card (Chief of Staff), Donald
Rumsfeld (Secretary of Defense)
and the list goes on. Wouldn’t it
have been wise for George W. to di
versify his selections, not trying so
hard to mirror the administration
of his father—a man who received
the lowest voter support of any sit
ting president-elect since Taft?
Then again, Dubya must have quite
a long list of favors to pay off to
Bush family supporters and cam
paign donors.
In a town like Eugene, where the
word ‘diversity’ is tossed as often
as an ultimate Frisbee, it would
serve us well to define what diver
sity actually means to our campus
community and political climate.
Is it only a rainbow of colors, or
does it also include the diversity of
policy and beliefs? While it is of
paramount concern to support a
climate of racial, cultural and gen
der equality, it should be equally
important to support the diversity
of ideas.
Eric Pfeiffer is a columnist for the Oregon
Daily Emerald. His views do not necessari
ly represent those of the Emerald. He can
be reached at epfeiffe@gladstone.
uoregon.edu.1
Bryan Dixon Emerald