Reputations

A while back people were wondering if anyone would escape the Bush administration with his reputation enhanced by his record of service. The answer is: Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who was able to broker the reasonable North Korea deal finalized today as soon as Dick Cheney decided to let him make a serious effort.

UPDATE: I'd forgotten that this was the Official Jim Fallows Conclusion as well.

Comments

Congratulations Mr. Hill but don't get cocky, there's plenty of time left. Being the most credible character in the administration makes him perfect for the role of declaring Iran the new Iraq.

Posted by aleks | October 3, 2007 11:42 AM

Josh Bolten?

Posted by Blake Hounshell | October 3, 2007 12:02 PM

Donladson at the S.E.C.?

Posted by David B. | October 3, 2007 1:12 PM

Hill is a career Foreign Service officer, so not really a Bush appointment (his bio is on the State website). Admittedly, you don't get jobs like his without at least the tacit approval of the Administration. So he probably at least had good Republican contacts or may have been known to be a Republican.

However, as a career diplomat, he's sort of the expection that proves the rule about incompetent Bush appointees.

Posted by Virginia | October 3, 2007 2:26 PM

James Comey - Without a doubt. Nevermind he left the administration, because he is a principled individual, as was not driven out while under indictment, like so many - but still.....

Posted by batojar | October 3, 2007 2:37 PM

...and come to think of it.....my weird nomination of the day is for John Ashcroft, who usually evokes notions of uninterrupted evil. - He actually did a good thing from that hospital bed.

Nevertheless, any story about your administration where Ashcroft is a hero, means your administration is irredeemably craven, mendacious, and awful.

Posted by Batojar | October 3, 2007 2:44 PM

I was going to say Comey. I think there could be a reaching, counter-intuitive case for Ashcroft, too. He was a Dominionist disaster, but that much was expected. And the guy was fresh off losing to a dead man, so he came in with the lowest of expectations. But a) he did stand up to them when they went too far on surveillance in his view, which is more than can be said for 99% of the people who worked for them (although, admittedly, it may have just been the anesthesia talking). And b) his incompetence as a legal administrator led to the government bringing the absolute flimsiest of terror prosecutions. This, in turn, gave the courts an opening to start attacking Bush's terror policy head-on. This was crucial b/c when the Democrats were too scared to do anything themselves it shifted the Beltway CW from "everyone loves the GOP terror policy" to "everyone's not entirely comfortable with the streak marks Cheney, Addington and Yoo left on the Constitution when they wiped their asses with it."

Also, while he's not technically in the administration, just on the team, and it's impossible to know the extent to which it may have been sour grapes after getting passed over for a SCOTUS nom, nonetheless Luttig exceeded my expectations (contrasted with Roberts the BushCo sell-out extraordinaire).

Posted by MSB | October 3, 2007 8:41 PM