by Eric Ture Muhammad
Staff Writer

WASHINGTON�In the first acts of his new administration, President-elect George W. Bush appointed two Blacks, one of them female, to the highest positions within a presidential administration. He also tapped a Mexican American as his White House Counsel and has met with a Democratic Senator to discuss potential areas of bi-partisan support.

Is this assemblage of ethnic and crossover renown to be considered the apex of America�s melting pot representative of an America truly for the people and by the people? Or is it simply window dressing to quell the still deep-seeded discontent as to how the 43rd President of the United States was chosen?

On Dec. 16 and 17, Mr. Bush announced his choice of former Joint Chiefs of Staff head, retired General Colin Powell as his Secretary of State, Ms. Condoleezza Rice as his National Security Advisor, and Alberto R. Gonzales as the White House Counsel. In other appointments, Mr. Bush selected Karen P. Hughes as counselor to the president and is said to be considering Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and former senator Dan Coates (R-Ind.) for Secretary of Defense.

Mr. Powell, 63, a son of Jamaican immigrants, was born and raised in New York City. As Joint Chiefs chairman he presided over Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. He had been a professional military man for 35 years before becoming the first Black to hold the highest military position in the Defense Department (DOD) under then-Pres. George W. Bush Sr. According to DOD records, he oversaw 28 military crises in his career and since his retirement in 1993, had become a board member of America Online and is the founding chairman of "America�s Promise: The Alliance for Youth", which encourages the adult population to serve as mentors to youths.

"In the newspaper stories that will be written about this occasion, they will say �Colin Powell, first African American to ever hold the position of secretary of state.� And I�m glad they will say that," Mr. Powell told the press during the Dec. 16 announcement. "I want it repeated because I hope it will give inspiration to young African Americans coming along," he said. President-elect Bush referred to Mr. Powell as "an American hero, an American example, and a great American story."

Ms. Rice, 46, is described as a once-poor, Alabama cotton farmer�s granddaughter who became an accomplished classical pianist, ice skater and graduate of college by the age of 19. She had since gone on to work as NSC�s Soviet expert and speaks fluent Russian and French. At 38, Ms. Rice became the youngest, first female and first Black to hold the position of Provost at Stanford University.

A long time friend of Mr. Bush, Ms. Rice coordinated his eight-member foreign policy advisory group to bulk up the campaigning governor�s knowledge of foreign affairs. During the Republican National Convention, Ms. Rice became even more known to the American public when she declared America is "not the world�s 911."

Before the two Black giants is the daunting task of keeping America a superpower, nurturing relationships between allies, and resolving world crises, particularly Africa and the raging Middle East.

On Dec. 16, via statement, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) congratulated Mr. Powell on his nomination, yet warned "as others before him, Mr. Powell must be primarily judged by his foreign policy direction, not by his racial projection. Gen. Powell is a fine gentleman and a great American, who through his public and military service has inspired many people and made America better.

"I hope that General Powell will use his considerable popularity, experience, and background to shape and inform an American foreign policy based on international law, self-determination and human rights."

Ms. Rice is further described as a politically savvy negotiator who can walk into a gathering "of almost any kind and instantly find a poised way of handling herself," said former colleague Phillip Zelikow in a recent Washington Post report. This post, however, will be the first time she has specific authority. Especially with a president whose world outlook is still very much a work in progress.

"It is a wonderful time for the United States in foreign policy because it is a time when markets and democracy are spreading, when our values are being affirmed around the world," Ms. Rice said during a news conference. "President-elect Bush is tough. I know that he cares about America and that he knows what makes America great in the world," she said.

The real test for the incoming administration will be the Middle East conflict. During his acceptance remarks of his nomination, Gen. Powell pledged to work with Israel to "always ensure that Israel lives in freedom, and in security and peace." Ms. Rice recently made her first trip to Israel. Negotiations in the region for peace are sure to be a task, considering Gen. Powell�s involvement in the war against Iraq.

Window dressing? One of Mr. Bush�s primary objectives is to ensure that his cabinet�particularly his Security Council�operates within his control. During the Reagan years, the NSC had become too independent of its president, according to analysts. Mr. Bush is already considering the appointment of RAND Corporation�s Paul H. O�Neill for Secretary of Treasury and Donald L. Evans to be his Dept. of Commerce secretary. This, according to published reports, is a move designed to maintain a power balance in his cabinet and not allow Ms. Rice or Gen. Powell to think they are true authorities.

With the recent predictions of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., regarding direct action protests during the weeks leading up to the Jan. 20 Presidential Inaugural, these appointments may be designed to take the wind out of many of the would be protesters who do see Gen. Powell and Ms. Rice as Black heroes who attained the American dream without the benefit of protest.