It's no secret that a number of conservatives, Newt Gingrich chief among them, are trying to drive Colin Powell out of the State Department and install one of their own, on the grounds that Powell has totally mismanaged the department.

It's no secret that a number of conservatives, Newt Gingrich chief among them, are trying to drive Colin Powell out of the State Department and install one of their own, on the grounds that Powell has totally mismanaged the department. But the irony is that if Powell goes, State will also almost surely lose his close ally, Undersecretary of State for management Grant Green, the man who is widely credited with superb and long-overdue improvements in the department, from replacing antiquated computer equipment to reversing decline in recruiting. Green, a former colleague from Powell's Pentagon days, literally walked through the doors of the State Department with Powell on the secretary's first day in office. Green has also been included in the daily, senior-staff meeting with Powell and senior aides Richard Armitage, Mark Grossman, and Larry Wilkerson--a sign of how much emphasis Powell places on management of the department.