Powell aide takes swipe at rivals

By Jon Leyne
BBC correspondent in Washington

Powell 'has spent much of his time doing damage control'

A close aide to US Secretary of State Colin Powell has outspokenly attacked rivals in the Bush administration.

Mr Powell's chief of staff, Larry Wilkerson, attacked those he said were making cavalier decisions about sending men and women out to die.

Mr Wilkerson also said Colin Powell was unlikely to serve a second term if President Bush is re-elected.

This is an extraordinary outburst from within an administration that prides itself on its public show of unity.

His comments were made in an article in the magazine GQ.

Lenin and Wolfowitz

Larry Wilkerson is one of Mr Powell's closest and longest serving aides, and must surely have had permission to make his comments.

He [Powell] is tired. Mentally and physically... If the president is re-elected and the president were to ask him to stay on, he might for a transitional period, but I don't think he'd want to do another four years Larry Wilkerson

Mr Wilkerson said the Secretary of State had spent much of his time doing damage control around the world for the actions of his colleagues.

Mr Wilkerson attacked those he said were making cavalier decisions about sending men and women out to die.

He compared the Deputy Defence Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, to the Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin, describing them both as Utopians.

"When all you use is a stick," he pointed out, "you're not going to get too far."

On the US policy towards Cuba, it was the "dumbest policy on the face of the earth," he said. "It's crazy."

As to his boss, Mr Wilkerson said Colin Powell was mentally and physically tired.

He said he was unlikely to serve out a second term if President Bush was re-elected.