Inside the Beltway
John McCaslin
washtimes.com
U.S. diplomats posted around the world have been sent the following electronic warning from Secretary of State Colin L. Powell in the wake of numerous internal e-mail memos, contents of which, as disclosed by this column, were deemed disrespectful to President Bush and certain members of Congress.
"The department has recently experienced several serious instances of inappropriate use of our U.S. government e-mail system," Mr. Powell writes. "Employees are expected to use all e-mail systems in a professional and courteous manner."
The secretary says he encourages candid and full debate about policy and management issues, "however, disparaging or abusive remarks about individuals do not further the goals of the department, do not reflect a responsible attitude toward one's job or toward others and will not be tolerated. Employees who misuse government e-mail will be subject to disciplinary action."
A pair of State Department staffers in Washington were later disciplined for typing, among other things, that the dean of the New York congressional delegation, Republican Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman, would announce "he died back in 1992, but that no one noticed until now."
Mr. Powell and other senior State Department officials personally apologized to Mr. Gilman and almost 100 members of Congress who were "outraged" by the pair's remarks.
But several days later, even more offensive e-mails surfaced, including one blistering memo written by the U.S. Consul General Charles Keil, the ranking U.S. official in Italy.
Mr. Keil's memo, which was sent to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, among other officials, likened portions of Mr. Bush's war on terrorism to a "witch hunt" that "smacks of the days of Senator Joseph McCarthy."
State Department employee Columbia A. Barrosse responded that the White House would probably appoint a "neo-nazi" to replace former Assistant Secretary of State Mary Ryan, who recently retired because of the department's negligence in the issuance of U.S. visas, including as many as 15 visas to the terrorist hijackers of September 11. |
