Rice at State

Gregory Djerejian, Belgravia Dispatch, posted a rebuttal to Jim Hoagland's charge in the Washington Post that,

Despite her success in defusing tensions with allies abroad in her first seven months, Rice still invites skepticism from mid-level Foreign Service officers who bridle at the thought of their beloved State Department becoming "White House Annex 2."

Here is an excerpt of a note from Eric Shimp, former FSO and trade negotiator, that Mr. Djerejian posted in full.

...this is a Secretary engaged in the essence of diplomacy. Dr. Rice is out there, in the field, working a travel schedule not seen since (and probably eclipsing) James Baker. Moreover, Dr. Rice is making practical decisions that don't detract from her overall value system; in doing so, she is effectively involving more of State's inherent expertise overseas.

It's worth reading all of it.