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Four years ago, at
the end of Madeleine Albright's term as Clinton's Secretary of State, over 1,600 State
Department professionals, risking their careers, signed a letter. |
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Their letter protested deplorable
conditions prevalent at State Department headquarters and several of its nearly 300
overseas missions. |
| The letter stated,
"We are entering the uncharted waters of the 21st century in a rusted-out diplomatic
hulk that is no longer seaworthy." It mentioned low morale, overextended staff,
crumbling infrastructure and information technology systems thought to be the weakest in
the government. |
| The situation appears
much better today. Secretary of State Colin Powell is receiving credit for the improvement
in morale. The independent Foreign Affairs Council, which monitors American diplomatic
operations, reports that "Morale is robust." |
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