To the Point

The Bush Cabinet Closes Ranks

When Condoleezza Rice replaces Colin Powell, supporters and critics agree she-ll project a more accurate picture of President Bush-s foreign policy. Despite the increasing diplomatic, financial and human costs of the war in Iraq, its neo-conservative backers now dominate the administration, and nobody thinks the new Secretary of State will be a voice of dissent. Rice's old job will be taken by her principal deputy, Steven Hadley. Without Colin Powell as an occasional voice of dissent, what will that mean for the formulation of foreign policy and the conduct of foreign affairs? We speak with a presidential scholar and former officials of the State and Defense Departments about the pros and cons of uniformity in policy-making at the highest levels. Making News: Federal Debt Limit Increase Approved Congress waited until the very last day before the US government would go into default before raising the debt limit to an unimaginable $8.18 trillion. The increase approved in just the last three years is two and a half times the total federal debt accumulated between 1776 and 1980. Michael Mandel, chief economist for BusinessWeek magazine, says this latest move is the result of recent and increasing budget deficits. Reporter's Notebook: Is America Adopting a -Theology of War?- Video of a US marine killing an unarmed Iraqi insurgent has been broadcast around the world, as were images of inmate abuse at Abu Ghraib prison earlier this year. With questions again being raised about whether America-s war on terror has created a climate of excessive violence, 200 Christian theologians and ethicists from divinity schools around the have signed a -confession- about US policy and the role of Christianity. We hear more from Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine, and Richard Land, who directs the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.