The campaign against the media was well under way, but it was only an early phase of the Kremlin’s crackdown. An assault on the independent judiciary was also launched as politically motivated corruption and “tax evasion” cases were brought against Russian oligarchs. When Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the best known of those men, came to see me at the White House when I was national security advisor, he talked boldly of using his fortune to change the nature of Russian politics. But he made the mistake of trusting the legal system and decided to stand and fight the charges against him in court. He is still in jail today. Others simply fled, including Boris Berezovsky, whom the Russians pursued all the way to London. Those men hadn’t just made the mistake of getting rich; they had tried to use their money to support political causes. That was unacceptable to Vladimir Putin.
The oligarchs were easy targets because in the chaotic days after the breakup of the Soviet Union many had exploited the absence of enforceable regulations to acquire their wealth. It wasn’t hard for the Kremlin to make a populist case that the men had pilfered the riches of the country, privatizing oil, gas, and minerals for their personal gain at the country’s expense. In the Russian psyche, those arguments resonated.
In fact, Gorbachev had once shared with President George H. W. Bush a little parable about the “egalitarian” tendencies of Russians long before the Soviet period. A peasant finds Aladdin’s lamp, the story goes. “What would you like me to do for you?” the genie asks. “Look at my neighbor. He has a good family, good crops, and the latest means of conveyance,” the peasant says. “Look at me,” he continues. “My wife is awful, I have no harvest, and I don’t even have a means of conveyance.” “So do you want me to make your life like his?” the genie asks. “No,” the peasant responds. “I want you to make his life like mine.”
Those were the realities of Putin’s Russia: increasing consolidation of power in the Kremlin, an all-out assault on the independent media, and the vindictive use of the judiciary.
In time, the list of hard-line policies would include a campaign against foreign NGOs, which would be forced to register with the Russian government to prevent “subversive activities and corruption.” Perhaps we should have seen it coming, but this Putin was different from the man whom we had first met in Slovenia. The Russian leader we thought we knew—who’d helped so much in Afghanistan after 9/11 and talked of strategic cooperation—seemed to be disappearing. Whether the catalyst was the accretion of power in one man, increasing unease as the color revolutions spread, or both, authoritarianism was rising in Russia. And as authoritarianism rose within Russia, it would be matched by harsher policies toward Russia’s neighbors, particularly those that had the nerve to act on their independence from the former imperial power. The trend would only be exacerbated by the rising price of oil. Those developments, not the great global issues of the time, would become the core of the conflict between Moscow and Washington.
The exploratory committee in March 1999 dedicated to electing Texas Governor George W. Bush President of the United States. AP Photo/Donna McWilliam
Governor Bush and my dad at a campaign stop in Palo Alto, July 1999. John Wesley Rice Jr. was a lifelong Republican. Palo Alto Daily News
Paul Wolfowitz and I cochaired a group of foreign policy specialists (nicknamed the Vulcans after my home city of Birmingham, Alabama) to advise the governor during the campaign. AFP/Getty Images/Paul Buck
One of the most distinguished men in Washington, General Colin Powell was a natural choice as the President’s secretary of state. He remains a close friend. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Tina Hager
Speaking in the Oval Office with Steve Hadley, my closest confidante and associate in government. He would later become the national security advisor. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Eric Draper
Conferring with Vice President Cheney in the White House bunker on September 11, 2001. Presidential Materials Staff, National Archives
Outside the Pentagon on September 12. When I returned to the White House, my clothes were covered in soot. Courtesy of Donald Rumsfeld
At Camp David, CIA Director George Tenet briefing the President, White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, and me on CIA operations in Afghanistan. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Eric Draper
Greeting one of my personal heroes, Nelson Mandela, in the Oval Office. The South African ambassador to the U.S., Sheila Sisulu, looks on. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Eric Draper
I had the great honor of playing Brahms with Yo-Yo Ma in April 2002. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Paul Morse
In the White House Situation Room, Don Rumsfeld and I discuss plans for military operations in Iraq. Seated at the table are senior military commanders, Generals Richard Myers and Tommy Franks. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Eric Draper
Taking the oath before the 9/11 Commission hearings, April 2004. From left, NSC spokesman Sean McCormack, my assistant Jen Easterly, communications director Jim Wilkinson, and NSC legal advisor John Bellinger. AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
Prime Minister Tony Blair sent me a much-appreciated, handwritten note before my testimony. Personal Collection
Sharing a light moment with Laura Bush at the ranch in Crawford, Texas. George W. Bush Presidential Library
My family and closest friends gathered for my surprise fiftieth birthday party at the British Embassy. MAI/Greg Mathieson Sr.
Dancing that night with my mentor and friend former Secretary of State George P. Shultz. MAI/Greg Mathieson Sr.
Senator Dianne Feinstein of California introduced me to the Senate for my confirmation as secretary of state. Jay Clendenin/LA Times
I signed the oath of office with my closest family members looking on. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg swore me in. State Department Photo
During a 2005 visit to a German military base in Wiesbaden, a photograph of me in a stylish long coat and knee-high boots caused quite a stir when it appeared on the Washington Post’s front page. I just wore them because it was snowing. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
In 2005 I welcomed the election of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who embodied Germany’s transformation as a former East German politician elected to the country’s highest office. Getty Images/Sean Gallup
Greeting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom before performing a piano recital at Buckingham Palace. State Department Photo
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and I attended a ceremony in my native Birmingham to honor the young victims of the 1963 Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. AP Photo/The Birmingham News/Bernard Troncale
Sitting across the table from Russian President Vladimir Putin. AFP/Getty Images/Alexander Zemlianichenko
Greeting children at the Abu Shouk refugee camp in Darfur, where I also met with women who had been victims of rape. Never had I felt raw emotion and pain like that. AFP/Getty Images
At the American University in Cairo, I said that for sixty years my country had pursued stability in the Middle East at the expense of democracy. Now we were taking a different course. Getty Images/Cris Bouroncle
During my meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, I told the aging leader that he needed to provide his people with a voice in their democracy. He refused. AP Photo
Observing sheep with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at his farm in southern Israel. The strong Israeli leader would eventually demonstrate his commitment to pursuing the establishment of a Palestinian state. U.S. Embassy Photo Tel Aviv/Matty Stern
Walking with Afghan President Hamid Karzai along the West Wing colonnade at the White House. Presidential Materials Staff, National Archives
Karzai and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf traded barbs as we sat with nervous smiles on our faces during a 2006 dinner in the White House family dining room. Getty Images/Eric Draper
Standing next to Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at a press conference in Rome during the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon. WPN/Andreas Solaro
Although we disagreed on
Iraq, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan became an important partner in the aftermath of the immediate invasion and in the Middle East more broadly. AP Photo/Plinio Lepri
At an August 2006 meeting of the United Nations Security Council, I cast the United States’ vote in favor of a resolution that would finally put an end to the month-long war in Lebanon. AP Photo/Frank Franklin
Meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. The Saudi king and many other Arab leaders privately expressed relief when we decided to double-down in Iraq amid the deteriorating security situation. AP Photo/Saudi Press Agency
An NSC meeting at Camp David in June 2006, five days after a U.S. air strike killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Contact Press Images/Charles Ommanney
With Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to mark the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Canada had welcomed displaced passengers following a grounding order for all aircraft in U.S. airspace. CP Photo/Andrew Vaughn
With Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao during the President’s 2007 State of the Union address at the Capitol. AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson
Meeting with our top military and civilian officials in Iraq, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, at the beginning of the surge in February 2007. Agentur FOCUS/Tina Hager
With General Ray Odierno, who had been my Pentagon liaison, and Marty Kraus, the head of my security detail, after arriving at the Baghdad airport in late 2007. State Department Photo
Greeting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who would emerge as a unifying leader in the free Iraq. State Department Photo
Addressing the press at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during a visit to Iraq with Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld, Army General George Casey, and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. AP Photo/Jim Watson/Pool
Meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in 2007. Maliki, whom I came to like and respect, was the first democratically elected prime minister under Iraq’s new constitution. AP Photo/Wathiq Khuzaei/Pool
Conferring with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal at a joint press conference in Jeddah. AFP/Getty Images/Hassan Ammar
Meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, one of America’s best allies in the Middle East. AP Photo/Nader Daoud/Pool
Being served a strawberry drink in Dubai during a visit with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates and a member of the ruling family. AFP/Getty Images/Mandel Ngan
In 2007 Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer traveled with me to California, where we met with former First Lady Nancy Reagan in her private office at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library. Cliff David/Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
Convening a trilateral summit in February 2007 with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem. U.S. Embassy Photo Tel Aviv/Matty Stern
Greeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in July 2007 at the Bush family home in Kennebunkport, Maine. AFP/Getty Images
In November 2007, after months of preparation, we held the Annapolis Conference on Middle East peace, where the Israelis and Palestinians agreed to launch formal bilateral negotiations. Colby Cooper
Meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who became the official representative of the Middle East Quartet. Getty Images/Rick Gershon
With Salam Fayyad and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak in March 2008 at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. Fayyad would prove to be a welcome partner in building reliable governing institutions in the development of the Palestinian state. U.S. Embassy Photo Tel Aviv/Matty Stern
President Bush and I during a break at an April 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania. George W. Bush Presidential Library/Eric Draper
Meeting with President Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing after speaking with victims of the May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province. AP Photo/Oded Balilty
With my counterparts from the P5+1 countries (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany): Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs He Yafei, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana in May 2008. The P5+1 would become the principal international body dealing with the Iranian nuclear problem. AP Photo/Sang Tan/WPA Pool
I frequently sought the wise counsel of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to get his perspective on key issues in foreign affairs. AP Photo/Keystone/Laurent Gillieron
I visited the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C., to sign a condolence book following the death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Getty Images/Brendan Smialowski
Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi struck me as unstable during my September 2008 meeting in Tripoli, the first such visit by a U.S. secretary of state since 1953. AP Photo/Nasser Nasser
With Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee on October 10, 2008, signing the historic U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement. State Department Photo
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and I discuss the ceasefire he negotiated to end the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict at his estate in the south of France. AFP/Getty Images
The best personnel decision that I made when I became secretary of state was to bring with me my executive assistant, the incomparable Liz Lineberry. Agentur FOCUS/Contact Press Images/Tina Hager
Reviewing a document with my chief of staff Brian Gunderson in my inner office on the seventh floor of the State Department. Agentur FOCUS/Contact Press Images/Tina Hager
One hour before I left the State Department on my last day as secretary, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and I signed a memorandum of understanding on terms for an end to the latest conflict in Gaza. Tzipi is a strong leader and a good friend. AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez
Bidding farewell to the State Department staff on my last scheduled workday as secretary of state. Lining the stairway is some of my senior staff, including (from left to right) Assistant Secretaries Dan Fried and Jendayi Frazer and the Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, one of our nation’s most distinguished diplomats. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
25
BAGHDAD AND CAIRO
EVENING TRIPS OUT TO Andrews Air Force Base always made me feel a little melancholy. I’d already worked an entire day, sprinted home to pick up my luggage, and jumped into the limousine headed to whatever country was next on my relentless travel log. “Otis, what are you going to do this weekend?” I’d ask my driver as we headed out along Suitland Parkway.
“My daughter’s got a basketball game, and I have to get out for a long run,” he would answer.
I would ask because it is important for the folks who help you to know that you care about their families and their lives. But the answer always made me sad. I’d lost all conception of weekends.
Otis had been a noncommissioned officer in the army from 1975 until 1995, when he’d become a civilian driver for the government. He’d been the personal driver of two former secretaries of defense and a former CIA director when he joined the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Bureau to serve as Colin Powell’s driver. Like Steve Estelle, my Secret Service driver at the White House, he was one of those dedicated African American government servants who just did their jobs without any fanfare despite long, crazy hours. Otis and Steve knew every route in Washington, D.C., and could magically turn a twenty-minute trip into a ten-minute one if need be, just by finding a shortcut. I gave Hillary Clinton only a few tidbits of advice about personnel; “Keep Otis” was at the top of the list.
On the morning of May 14, though, the journey out to Andrews was different. I was on my way to Qatar to board a military plane that would fly me to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan and then on to Baghdad for the first time as secretary of state. I was so ex
cited that I could barely contain myself. For security reasons, only a handful of staff knew where I was going, and I’d made the decision never to tell my family when I was traveling to Iraq or Afghanistan. They would just have worried.
No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington Page 44
