THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE
Powell Being Seen, Heard More as Election Closes In
The secretary of State, who is highly popular with the public, touts Bush's foreign policy.
By Paul Richter, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — After staying away from the GOP convention to avoid the appearance of partisanship, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is suddenly taking on a more visible role as chief advocate for the president's foreign policy.
Powell, who made no appearances on Sunday television news shows in July or August, will appear on three shows this Sunday morning. On Wednesday, he appeared on three network morning shows to defend President Bush's foreign policy after the U.S. death toll in Iraq reached 1,000.
U.S. officials say the cluster of appearances is a routine part of his job. But some others contend it reflects the administration's desire to use its most popular senior official, one who has special appeal to the moderate voters it is courting. They predict Powell will continue to be visible for the remaining 51 days until the election.
"Every time they need to appeal to moderates or independents to make their foreign policy believable, they turn to Colin Powell," said Robert Boorstin, a former Clinton administration official now with the Center for American Progress, a think tank in Washington. "It was no surprise that he was the one sent to the United Nations to provide the 'intelligence' on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. This is a continuation of that."...
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-powell11sep11,1,7772491.story?coll=la-home-politics